


Masters and Apprentices

by anabelsraikou



Series: A Brave New Xadia [2]
Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Dragonguard Captain Rayla, High Mage Callum, Soren needs emotional support, drama and backstabbing, post-S3, world-building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:55:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 26,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23697337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anabelsraikou/pseuds/anabelsraikou
Summary: After the tumultuous experience in Everdeep, Callum spent the past week brushing up on his sky magic skills with Ibis at the Storm Spire. His birthday is coming up fast, and Ezran is planning a grandiose celebration with delegates and ambassadors from Xadia and the Human Kingdoms in an attempt to foster a new era of peace.But there's trouble stirring. What will Corvus and Crownguard Vedika find in Neolandia? Who is Ferromir, and what does he want? With new threats from all sides, can Soren keep up and reconcile with his inner demons?And, can Callum help other humans to learn primal magic?
Relationships: Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince)
Series: A Brave New Xadia [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1687027
Comments: 45
Kudos: 66





	1. The Common Folk

Temur Nadu in the evening was an ever-bustling place of commerce and activity, and yet somehow oddly serene at the same time, the orange glow of the setting sun casting long, almost otherworldly shadows across the city. It was the simple moments like these, a city like Temur Nadu in all its splendid candor, that reminded Vedika why she loved her kingdom of Duren so dearly; it was full of life, often chaotic, and it was her home. Having come from humble origins before her father rose the ranks to become Head Crownguard, she had never quite gotten used to the wide-eyed and slightly reverent stares she would get walking through town in her royal armor. Because at the end of the day, these were her people, and she was no different from any one of them.

And right now, they were hurting.

There had been another attack three days ago. Reinforcements from the Breach, having only just arrived, were inadequately prepared to counter the threat. Eventually, the attackers had been overwhelmed and captured, but not before taking more Durenian lives. Even captured, they were unyielding in interrogation, refusing to even identify themselves, let alone speak of their motives. Tensions were running high, and people were fearing that the extra protection of Katolian soldiers wouldn’t be enough. The time to act was now.

Over the past week, the four of them had been gathering intel, strategizing, helping to fortify the town, and training. Corvus had unilaterally taken the lead on the latter, and truth be told, it hadn’t been particularly easy for Vedika. Neha and Sachin, the most gifted of the kingdom’s small pool of assassins, had quickly proven themselves to be perfect for the job with their subtlety, attentiveness and lightning reflexes. Vedika, on the other hand, was a knight by training. As it turned out, her skills in battle tactics and armed combat with a broadsword didn’t translate naturally to stealth and tracking, armed with concealed knives. Nonetheless, she had been determined to make it work. Her kingdom was counting on her.

So now, as they followed her contact toward an unassuming stable near the Neolandian border on the outskirts of the city all dressed in long, concealing garb, there were no starstruck glances her way or mouths hanging agape. She was just a figure in the crowd, a commoner once again. It was oddly comforting.

“This is where we part ways,” said the man, as he gestured to a medium-sized carriage packed too tightly with people. “The carriage will cross the border and arrive in Khajabi by sunrise. Once it does, you’re on your own. Find a tavern, pick up an odd job or two. Try to blend in – the rest of these people are trying to start a new life there, further away from the Xadian threat.”

Vedika clasped her hand on his shoulder, giving him a warm smile. “Thank you for getting us this far, Kabir. You and your family stay safe now.”

“I only wish I could do more. Best of luck, Crownguard Vedika. We all believe in you.”

Soon, he was gone, and Corvus turned to face the three of them. “Let’s go. And remember – stay reserved and unassuming, but alert. Don’t talk about our goals without being certain that there’s no one to overhear us. We’re heading into enemy territory now.”

Those last words rang in Vedika’s head as they squeezed into the carriage and began on their way across the border, leaving her home behind.

* * *

Hands innocently behind her back, Nyx watched with bated breath as the Earthblood-elven noble carefully examined the steed, from its shimmering pale-blue horn to the glistening wavy flow of its mane. Thankfully, what he didn’t seem to notice were the two glowing runes underneath its belly.

“Beautiful…” he murmured. “This is truly a fine specimen. I haven’t seen anything like it, but the magic and wonder emanating from it… there is no doubt in my mind that this is indeed a unicorn.”

Nyx breathed a subtle sigh of relief. “Exactly as we promised, Lord Bismoras. My partner and I procure the finest magical creatures in the lands, and we are nothing if not honorable. Now, speaking of honor,” she began, “we trust that you will honor the terms of our contract?”

“Most certainly,” replied Bismoras, and with a snap of his fingers, one of his guards brought forth a thick, heavy case. The glow of bars upon bars of gold as he opened it for her had Nyx wide-eyed and salivating.

“My daughter will be overjoyed. She’s wanted one of these ever since she was a little girl. Maybe now I can finally be a father she’ll look up to,” she heard Bismoras say. There was a slight quiver in his voice – was he tearing up or something? Whatever. She could care less about that.

“I, uh… suppose that concludes our dealings,” ventured Kai, as he tentatively reached for the case of gold. He had it. Good. The reserved Tidebound-elven battle mage was proving to be a real asset. Nyx bowed gracefully. “We thank you for your business, and bid you farewell.” With that, the two of them turned to walk away.

This was where they really had to focus on those two runes under the steed’s belly, Nyx the sky rune and Kai the ocean rune. Together they were maintaining the glow of the icy horn and the luscious flow of its frosty mane, as well as the magic emanating from it. As they slowly walked away, that connection was weakening. It wouldn’t be long now before it was lost completely.

Nyx could hardly feel it anymore as she heard something hit the ground with a thud. She chanced a glance back.

“Hey, wait a minute,” said one of the guards, poking what had appeared to be the unicorn’s horn with his boot. “This is just ice!” Indeed, the once majestic steed had been revealed for what it truly was – a slightly damp and windswept common horse.

“Time to go,” said Kai tersely. A fine idea.

Without wasting a moment, she grabbed Kai and unfurled her wings to their full extent, taking flight. She was by no means a heavy lifter, but Kai was mostly lean muscle and not too heavy for her powerful wings.

“They cheated me! After them!” bellowed Bismoras from below as she gained speed. Before long, arrows were whizzing past her head, and even some high-speed acorns, probably shot by an Earth mage. She yelped, swerving to avoid them. “How about some cover fire, Kai?” she snapped through gritted teeth. “I’m trying! But we’re inland, and it’s not very humid here,” he protested, though to his credit she heard a healthy number of icy rounds coming from that strange, newly-rebuilt implement of his. The one that channeled magical energy with the ocean runes inscribed along its shaft.

When she’d asked earlier, he had called it a ‘rifle’, a name that he had proudly considered to be quite apt for his invention by virtue of it ‘rifling ice and water at high speeds’. Personally, she thought the name was rather bland and undescriptive (she would have called it ‘long shooty stick’ or something to that effect), but it _had_ served as the inspiration for their latest heist: If you could enchant a rod of metal and have it channel your magical energy, then why not use the same strategy to make a horse look and feel like a unicorn? After all, those went for a _lot_ of gold. In order to complete the illusion, they had needed a touch of sky magic, and while she was by no means a gifted mage, Nyx eventually got the hang of it with a bit of Kai’s help.

And it had been well worth the effort. Because now, nearing the cover of the vast and craggy Mt. Fortimus, they were almost home free.

“Hang on!” yelled Nyx as she tucked in her wings and veered sharply to the right, underneath the rocky outcrop jutting from the oddly-shaped cliff face, before swooping underneath the treetops of the dense forest at the foot of the mountain where they touched down. Exactly as planned.

“Not a snowball’s chance in Garlath’s furnace that they’ll find us here,” said Nyx. Bismoras’ enraged cry echoed through the forest as if to underline her point, followed by loud, unconstrained… sobs? Nyx shook her head. What a pathetic man. No matter – today had been a complete success.

“Now, let’s have a look, shall we?” she said coyly to Kai, to which he meekly handed her the case of gold. She opened it like a child opening a birthday present, laughing with glee and taking a moment to run her fingers across the bars of gold, savoring the sweet sensation of their smooth, polished texture. This was what victory felt like – the thrill of the heist, and the delicious catharsis of the spoils.

“Nyx, I have to ask,” Kai ventured tentatively, rudely jolting her from her giddy stupor. “Is this all there is to it? Just collecting gold and scheming to get more gold after that?”

Nyx let out a sigh. “Oh Kai, darling,” she began, “is this _all_ there is to it, you ask? What, by that, could you _possibly_ mean?”

“Well…” he said, scratching the back of his head, “when you asked me to join you back at Everdeep, you told me you saw something in me. That I was _better_ than the rest of those goons. And that kind of resonated with me. Got me thinking that maybe I could be _more_ than what I was. Don’t get me wrong, I love riches as much as the next guy, but… what if we could do something bigger than ourselves?”

She had to stifle a laugh. Kai was certainly talented, but he was still so young and naïve, with such an idealistic view of the world.

“Bigger than ourselves, you say? If you could hear yourself right now,” she chided. “Look; I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but it’s a banther-eat-banther world out there. And you and I? We’re just commoners – we don’t have claim to any throne, or favor with any noble. We don’t have the luxury of sitting on our laurels or, heavens forbid, looking out for _other people_. We look out for ourselves, and let me tell you, we do a damn good job at that.” With that, she handed Kai a scroll. He blinked for a moment before reaching out to take it.

“What is it?” he asked, cautiously unfurling it.

Nyx shrugged. “Not really sure, but I nicked it from one of the guards back there. With any luck, it’ll give us some names of fresh targets. Why don’t you give it a once-over?”

“Alright…” he mumbled, as he began to scan through the document. For a fleeting moment, Nyx thought she saw his eyes light up with recognition and alarm.

* * *

Soren’s breaths were deep and purposeful in an attempt to slow his racing pulse as he tightened his grip on his training broadsword, his weight on his back foot and his eyes darting between his four opponents surrounding him from all sides. “Alright, bring it!” he urged.

Armed with wooden swords of their own, the four of them rapidly closed in on him. _Come on, Soren. Focus._

The closest swing was coming from his right, but there was a jab from his left as well. Sidestep. One-arm parry to the right, and – there! Pivoting to his left, a quick two-armed jab to the chest caught his opponent off guard. _One down_.

Duck, immediately. The wooden sword from behind him just grazing the top of his hair. Swivel, sweep the sword up and across, connecting nicely with another’s side. _Two down._

Parry up and to the left, now snap back down! It connected neatly on the shoulder. _Three down, almost there!_

But this time he’d left himself wide open from behind, and the forceful prod on his back with the wooden sword of his fourth opponent confirmed it. He had lost yet again.

Soren flung his sword to the side and angrily kicked his foot across the cobblestone surface of the training grounds. “Dammit!” he cursed. “Just _never_ good enough!”

“Sir, if I may,” one of the guards ventured, “you performed admirably. Facing down four opponents at once is one of the hardest things a swordsman can do, and we weren’t going that easy. Perhaps it’s unrealistic to-”

“I don’t wanna hear it, Natalia,” he snarled. “Prince Callum’s birthday celebration is in two days, and there’ll be delegates and fanfare up the wazoo. If I’m not at the _top of my game-_ ”

He cut himself short as another guard came running across the courtyard with a palpable sense of urgency. “Sir! We just got word of a scuffle in the town’s marketplace. Some masked figure is apparently giving our guards a runaround. Should we-”

“I’ll go. Fetch me my horse,” Soren declared without missing a beat. If there was some rogue on the loose, he needed to take care of it _now_.

“R-right away, sir!” the guard stammered, knowing better than to challenge him with that look in his eyes, before scampering off. By the time he reached the bridge by the entrance to the castle, the guard had returned with his horse and he was on his way.

Some might say that the past few weeks had slowly eroded his confident, easy-going and sometimes goofy attitude. Whatever. All he knew was that the mis-step prince was suddenly the most gifted human mage in centuries, and meanwhile he and his guard had failed to save King Harrow from assassins. Heck, he had even gotten his ass handed to him _twice_ by a teenage elf girl, even with help from Clau –

No. Nope. Not thinking about _that_ right now.

With more threats than ever before, he _had_ to be better. There was no choice. He had to push himself beyond every limit he knew to keep King Ezran and the kingdom safe. And that meant making quick and decisive work of… whatever this was.

It was pandemonium in the marketplace. People were screaming and covering their children as the handful of guards clustered themselves around the threat. Someone already lay dead on the ground. Leaping off his horse, Soren charged into action.

“Crownguard here, step aside!” he commanded. A couple of the guards backed up, giving him a line of sight to masked and veiled rogue armed with two serrated daggers. Soren drew his sword and swept it towards the rogue in one swift motion.

It glanced across the rogue’s daggers which were held up to parry. A quick reaction, but one that put him squarely on the defensive. Good.

Soren continued his assault with a deftly interwoven mix of slashes and jabs, forcing the rogue back. A little more, and he would have an opening for sure. Finally, a well-placed flick of his broadsword dislodged the right dagger from the rogue’s grip and flung it to the side. Now for the finisher. Taking up a firm two-handed grip, Soren propelled his sword toward his opponent and…

He couldn’t believe his eyes as it kept going, sailing right past the rogue who had shifted like lighting to Soren’s right, and with a vicious snap of his left hand sent the dagger careening toward Soren’s right arm, just at the gap in his armor. With no time to evade, it was all Soren could do to lurch his body to the left. The dagger still cut into his arm, drawing blood and sending a surge of pain through his body, and he couldn’t regain his balance. He fell back and to the left, clutching his right arm with his left as he struggled to maintain a grip of his sword. The rogue picked up his second dagger and approached him menacingly.

Until he braced to intercept the slash of a broadsword from a new assailant. Not one of the guards, but rather… an old man?

Soren watched with awe as he effortlessly pushed the rogue back, the broadsword flowing as gracefully as if it were an extension of his arm, leaving no opening to be exploited. Every one of the rogue’s attempts to counterattack were foiled as if by clairvoyance. This man was like nothing Soren had ever seen.

Finally, he scored a glancing blow to the rogue’s side, but before he could do more, the rogue released some sort of sphere from his belt. The square was now awash with a yellow-ish smoke, and once it cleared the rogue was nowhere to be seen.

Finally sheathing his sword, the man turned to face Soren, offering him a hand. Tentatively, he took it with his left hand, and slowly brought himself to his feet. The rest of the guards set about restoring order to the marketplace, getting information from the shaken-up townspeople and trying to identify the man who was killed.

Finally, Soren got a look at the man’s face. He was indeed old, probably around 60 or so, face worn and wrinkly with a short white beard. But he was trim and well-built, with muscle tone and callouses on his hands that suggested a life of combat. He gave Soren a once-over. “I know that armor,” he said, voice raspy yet steady. “You’re a Crownguard, aren’t you? What’s your name, boy?”

“My name’s Soren.”

The man paused for a moment, before gesturing to Soren’s right arm. “You, uh… you’ll want to get that disinfected and bandaged sooner rather than later. Why don’t you stop at my home before heading back to the castle?”

Soren raised an eyebrow. “Thanks, I appreciate that… uh, who are you, by the way?”

The man just waved a hand. “Ah, me? Just some common old geezer… call me Den.”

* * *

Now cleaned and bandaged, Soren’s arm was feeling considerably better, the medicinal herbs working well to numb the pain. Den had urged him not to worry, that it wasn’t a deep wound and a strapping young lad like himself should be fine within a couple days.

So here he was, sitting in this strange man’s house, taking an indulgently long sip of his tea. He was grateful, sure, but he couldn’t stay long. There were things to attend to, after all.

“So, Soren,” began Den, “you’re quite the fighter. How long have you been a Crownguard?”

Soren set down his tea. “A little under a year. I’ve only been Head Crownguard, though, for the past few weeks since the Battle of the Storm Spire. It’s pretty stressful, to be honest, especially with the big event in two days.”

Den was visibly impressed. “Head Crownguard? Well I’ll be damned. You’re a real big shot!” For some reason he looked happy about that.

But Soren grumbled. “Still not good enough, though. That rogue got the better of me.” He had thought he was pushing hard and fast, but thinking back, it was really more like instinctive flailing. He had been single-minded and couldn’t see that he had left himself wide open when it counted. But watching Den… it was artful. Every movement had looked measured and purposeful, leaving no openings and covering all his bases. It honestly should have been inspiring, but it mostly felt depressing. Soren could never be like that – his head didn’t work that quick. He just wasn’t smart enough. He would have to get stronger so he could overpower his opponents faster.

But Den looked him in the eyes. “And why do you think that happened?” he asked genuinely.

Soren blinked. “Uhhh… I was taking too long to push him back?” he ventured.

Den sighed and shook his head, standing up from his seat at the table. “Not quite. Come here, Soren. I’d like to show you something.”

What was this all about? Soren stood up to face Den, who drew his broadsword from the scabbard at his waist. It looked old and well-used, but of fine make, having held up well over the years. Taking the cue, Soren drew his own broadsword, which by comparison was much shinier – one of the finest Katolian blades made specifically for the Crownguard.

“Think you can do a bit of parrying?” he asked.

Soren scoffed. “Come on. I can parry all day, old man.”

Den smirked. “Good,” he said. And with that, he began. Slow at first, but gradually increasing the pace and variety of strokes, keeping Soren on his toes and constantly guessing. Up close, the fluidity of his movements was more apparent than ever, with a fluency that could only have been attained over decades of practice. But Soren was keeping up well. Eventually, he stopped.

“That’s it?” asked Soren. He thought this was going to be harder.

“Hold your horses, lad,” said Den. “Now, I’d like _you_ to try and score a hit on _me_. Don’t be shy.”

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about _that,_ ” assured Soren, as he began his assault. It wasn’t long before he was going all-out, pushing as hard as he could for an opening with as many different strokes as he could. But Den just kept deflecting them like they were nothing, and soon, he slipped up. As he snapped his sword across to the right a little too quickly, grip a little too loose, Den sent it flying out of his hand and brought his own sword to Soren’s chest.

“Oh, _what!?_ ” fumed Soren. Was Den really _that_ good? Everything he had just wasn’t enough!

“You got hasty,” explained Den. “You became so focused on landing a hit on me, that you didn’t cover all your bases. You left yourself wide open. Defending is easy, but _attacking_ a skilled opponent… you have to be doing everything all at once. And that takes focus.”

Soren sighed. _It also takes brainpower, which I really don’t have_ , he thought to himself. No point voicing that now. “Hey, if you’re so good,” he asked, “how come I haven’t seen you around?”

Den just shrugged. “I guess you could say I’m new in town.”

“Fair enough, I guess,” conceded Soren. He looked out the window. Crap, it was getting late. “I should really be getting back to the castle now. Lot’s to do – especially with a dangerous rogue on the loose.”

Den nodded. “Take care of yourself, lad. And hey; think about what we worked on. In fact, if you can spare some time tomorrow afternoon, think about popping over. It could be useful.”

Soren scratched the back of his head. “I dunno… things are gonna be pretty busy the next couple days.”

“Well, think about it,” urged Den. “Plus, some time down here amongst the common folk might do you some good, eh?” he quipped.

“Okay, _maybe_ ,” conceded Soren as he turned to leave. “And, Den? Thank you. This, uh… it meant a lot. It’s been a rough few weeks.”

Den waved goodbye as he left the small house, mounted his horse and sped back to the castle. It really _had_ been a rough few weeks, and he had gotten pretty frustrated with himself. But even with all the great Katolian soldiers and trainers he knew, something was special about Den. He barely knew the man, but he seemed to really care about Soren in a way he couldn’t put a finger on.

All he knew was that it felt like something he had been missing for a very long time.

* * *

Trailing behind the Hippox with one hand tightly gripping the reins and the other steadying the leveler, Fawaz trudged through the ankle-deep water, flattening the rice field in preparation for the next harvest. It was arduous work, and the intense mid-summer sun certainly didn’t make it any easier, but the field was almost ready for planting to begin.

At age 14, this cycle of work was already quite familiar to him. The swampy, coastal Evenerian Glades were perfect for farming rice, one of the few crops that could be produced in the kingdom, and his family had been doing exactly that for generations. Work had been slow ever since Armeena, his older sister, had left for the war last month. His parents had told him not to worry – soon, his younger siblings would be old enough to help out as well, and it wouldn’t be long before Armeena was back.

But she never returned.

So, they had become a family of six. The next youngest, Isaiah, was 10 years old, and was already helping tend to the rice field as best he could. Fawaz knew he had to be strong for his brother and little sisters, so he put on a brave face and ended every day by telling them everything would be okay. Still, he cried himself to sleep most nights. Armeena had been the glimmer of hope not just for the family, but for him. She was strong, talented with a sword, brave whenever he was scared and most importantly of all, she was always optimistic. Even with the world falling apart around them, she always found a way to look on the bright side.

That was what he had cherished most about his older sister. So, when he heard in town that the Evenerian delegation was looking for crew aboard a ship to Katolis, he chose to be optimistic. He chose to hope that he could be part of that crew and secure the money for his family. With their home near the coast, Fawaz had done his share of sailing before. They would often go fishing during seasons when the harvest was low, and over the years he had gotten quite good. Good enough, it turned out, to be accepted.

Tomorrow, he would meet the delegation and the rest of the crew by the coast to make the journey. His father would collect the money, he would board the ship and they would be off. While it wouldn’t be a long journey by boat, most of it would be made by carriage to reach the Katolian Royal Castle in approximately four days’ time, just in time for the Katolian Prince’s birthday, apparently.

He had heard some of the stories. Tales of a boy not much older than himself who could do magic. And not just any magic, but _primal_ magic – the kind no human in recent history had done before. He could scarcely imagine what that might be like, to be so powerful and important. To be not only a prince of an entire kingdom, but someone so gifted and… special.

Maybe in some other life, he could be special, too.

* * *

Wiping the sweat from her brow, Ariana heaved her pickaxe above her head and slammed it into the crevasse she had made near a lump of coal. To her relief, it finally dislodged. Grabbing it off the ground, she hurled it into the minecart which was now just about full. Finally.

She reached under the minecart between the tracks upon which it sat and gave the thick rope three good pulls. A moment later, it started slowly moving back up the tunnel. Pickaxe in hand, she began following it along its way to ensure that it didn’t fall. That was the final load of another day in the mines atop Mt. Invidus, Del Bar. She was new to this job, having only started a few weeks ago, and one of the youngest in the mines. But she was learning fast and remained stubbornly dismissive of the notion that the conditions might be too harsh for a 14-year-old girl. After all, she had spent her entire life in these mountains and even though they wouldn’t say it, she knew her mom and her older brother, Jaime, needed her to pick up the slack. The few hardy crops she and her mom grew on the mountainside just weren’t enough and getting more food on the table was harder these days.

Especially since dad wasn’t around anymore.

Like so many others, he had gone off to war last month and never returned. Deep down, she had known this would happen from the very beginning. _Dad is going off to fight for all the human lands_ , mom had said. _It may be long, but he’ll be back_. Sure. But when word finally came that his whole battalion was lost, it didn’t hurt any less. She had been irritable, prone to fits of rage – bratty, even. That much was clear. But she was dead set on making this godforsaken life of theirs better in any way she could. So, here she was, in the mines.

Slowly but surely, hand still on the minecart as it inched forward, she was approaching the mouth of the cave signifying the end of her shift. The light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe that’s what Jaime was looking for when he enthusiastically suggested that she sign up to be a guide for the Del Barian delegation on their way to Katolis. They would need to pass through Mt. Invidus and the neighboring mountain ranges to reach the border, and if anyone knew how to navigate its tricky terrain expertly, it was her. Sure enough, they offered her the position, and the pay was quite good. So, she took it. But that didn’t mean she was particularly excited about it.

Truthfully, she didn’t want anything to do with nobles or royalty. Their selfish wars and insufferable politics led to the loss of countless lives – including her father’s. But what did they ever care? To them, they were nothing but numbers and labor. Human capital. Expendable. It made her sick.

So, nothing could have excited her less than the prospect of not only shepherding several old out-of-touch Del Barian delegates over four days, but then arriving at the pompous Katolian Royal Castle so some boy king could chat up visitors from across the lands in celebration of Prince What’s-his-face’s birthday. That prince in particular had been the subject of all the recent chatter; travelled to Xadia, learnt some cool magic, and suddenly he was a hot topic? I mean, come on! A _prince_ , who lived a life of luxury in a _castle_ , but somehow he was supposed to be an inspiration. Please. He had probably never worked a day in his life. What concept could he possibly have of loss or hardship?

What could he know of what life was actually like for people like her?


	2. Together and Apart

Rayla was awoken by the sound of light footsteps just outside the bedroom door. Listening in, she found with relief that the sound was familiar – it was Eryn, probably on her way to the late morning shift. It was her day to sleep in, which usually meant that she would try in vain to get a few extra hours of rest before getting to the day like any other. She was, after all, a very light sleeper, and together with the nightmares and anxiety brought about by the past couple months, quality sleep had been hard to come by.

That changed drastically with Callum around. For the first time in what felt like forever, she felt like she could rest easy, and actually feel warm and safe and happy. The sunlight was streaming through the shutters of the small window by the side of the room, gently illuminating streaks along the bed. She took a deep breath, allowing herself to sink back into the downy comfort of the mattress. Yeah… she could stay in bed for just a little bit longer.

Of course, it wasn’t _her_ bed, and this wasn’t her room either. It was the guest bedroom, where Ibis had insisted Callum would stay, as if that would somehow stop Rayla from joining him. She turned to face him, huddled up beside her, and smiled. Just watching the gentle rhythm of his breathing as he lay there so sweetly and serenely brought butterflies to her stomach and a familiar warm feeling throughout her body. He was really here. They were really together again.

That first night, she had been… perhaps a bit _too_ enamored by that fact. She winced slightly at the thought of how far she had almost gone, how dismissive she had been of Callum’s boundaries. And then having to explain it all to a sleep-deprived Eryn, which made for one of the most uncomfortable conversations imaginable, probably for _both_ of them-

Whatever. That was in the past. Right now, she was focused on more pleasant things with the adorable princely bundle sleeping across from her. She scooched over to him, so that she could feel the soft puffs of air as he exhaled. Lightly, she began to walk her fingers across his right arm, which lay in front of him. The sky runes on his arms were now permanently tattooed and joined by two additional tattoos on the back of each hand, presumably for the new magic he’d been learning. She gently brushed a tuft of hair from his forehead, which he now wore shorter to stay out of his eyes as he flew. Callum just stirred a little but remained deeply asleep, mouth hanging slightly open with a spot of drool on his pillow. It was frankly incredible how much he could sleep through – more than once, Rayla had found herself slightly envious. Mostly, though, it was just really cute.

Leaning over, she cradled his head in her arms, taking a moment to appreciate the furrow of his brow, the curve of his jawline, and the pretty human ear that was facing her. They weren’t pointy like hers, and they didn’t wiggle like hers did, but they had a sweet, gentle roundness to them and a little mound of soft flesh just below – earlobes, apparently. Tentatively, she brought her lips to his right earlobe and gently kissed it. That finally woke him up.

“Wh- Rayla!” he complained, giggling all the same as his eyelids lazily fluttered open.

“Sorry, I just couldn’t help myself,” said Rayla coyly. “Morning, sleepy prince.”

Callum yawned, stretching out his arms. “Do we _have_ to get up now?”

Rayla shook her head. “Not for a little while longer, I don’t think.”

“Oh, good.” Rayla blushed as Callum wrapped his arms around her waist, nestling into her side. Gradually, he was becoming more used to the casual intimacy they now shared, and Rayla certainly wasn’t complaining. She ran her fingers back and forth through his hair, making little twirls as she did.

“I’m worried,” Callum eventually confessed, face still buried in her side.

“About what?” she asked.

“If anyone back home gives you trouble, I swear I’ll-”

“Callum,” she hushed. He was of course talking about their trip to Katolis tomorrow – the day before Callum’s birthday, which he had conveniently forgotten about when he had proposed to stay here and train with Ibis. And it wouldn’t just be any birthday; in a bold move, Ezran had chosen to make it a celebration of unity, with the hopes that it would promote discussions of peace between the Human Kingdoms and Xadia. Rayla was invited, and so were Queen Janai and the Lux Aurean delegation, the representatives of the Skywing coastal trading guilds, and even Queen Zubeia. Truth be told, Rayla was nervous about the whole thing – keeping everyone away from each other’s throats would be no easy task, and she herself hadn’t been to Katolis since, well…

“Whatever happens, we’ll face it together like we always do,” she urged. “Besides, it’s your birthday in two days, and we’ll spend it together! Aren’t you excited for that?”

“Well,” Callum began, lifting his head to face her, “yeah, I guess you’re right. I still worry though…”

“Oh, come now, don’t you think I can take care of myself?” she quipped. “I _am_ Captain of the Dragonguard, after all.”

“That’s true, you _are_ an amazing warrior.” Callum began to chuckle. “Hey, look at us – the warrior and the worrier!”

That got Rayla laughing too. By this point, it was safe to say they were both awake.

“So, should we get started with the day then, Mr. Worrier?” she ventured.

At that, Callum nuzzled up against her side defiantly. “I don’t know… it’s kinda nice here.”

“Oh, hush!” she said, knowing full well that given the choice, she wouldn’t move from this spot either. “Don’t you have training to get to?”

“Fine, fine,” he relented, slowly getting up to stretch his arms and crack his knuckles. Rayla watched with bemusement as he swiftly drew a sky rune. _“Ventus Amnis!”_

Rayla yelped as a powerful blast of air from between the shutters of the window behind her slammed into her, sending her careening towards Callum whose arms were outstretched to catch her… except he lost his balance and stumbled backwards. So, they ended up in a heap on the floor, giggling their asses off.

“Callum! What the hell was that?” she asked between fits of laughter.

Finally collecting himself, he sighed. “A more versatile wind current redirection spell that Ibis has been teaching me. I got the direction and power right that time, but the follow through…”

“…left something to be desired?” finished Rayla with a smirk. “It was still really impressive though, even if it was a bit of a shock.”

She leaned in to place a quick, chaste kiss on the tip of his nose. “Now, I’d better sneak out of here so that we can start the day…”

* * *

Eryn stood in Queen Zubeia’s chamber with Arinze to her left, having been called in for a briefing of some sort.

“Eryn, Arinze, thank you for joining me,” said Queen Zubeia, towering over them with her mighty presence.

“Of course, Your Majesty,” said Arinze. “What was it you wanted to talk about?”

“King Ezran of Katolis personally invited me to the Katolis Castle to participate in peace talks over the next few days. As optimistic a notion as that may be, I chose to respectfully decline his invitation. In these tumultuous times, Xadia needs its Queen _here_ now more than ever, particularly given my… long absence.”

She hung her head slightly. She was ashamed, Eryn knew, but committed all the same to leading Xadia with renewed purpose and confidence.

“Furthermore,” she continued, “given the tentative and delicate state of affairs, I hardly think it would be prudent for a dragon of my stature to parlay directly with human dignitaries. It could be seen as… intimidating.”

“That, I can agree with,” said Arinze. Eryn nodded; that much made sense.

“I conveyed as much to King Ezran. However, I empathize with his desire to represent Xadia as much as possible, so we arranged an alternative. I will send Ibis, my most trusted advisor, and additionally,” she leaned in slightly for emphasis, “I will send all _three_ members of the new Dragonguard as a symbol of Xadia’s finest. In other words, you will be joining Prince Callum and Captain Rayla for their journey tomorrow.”

Eryn was struggling to digest what she had just been told. To her left, Arinze looked to be in a similar situation. It just seemed to be so far outside anything she thought she would have to do as a Dragonguard.

“Um… I’m sorry, Your Majesty, I’m not sure I understand,” she eventually managed.

Queen Zubeia let out a small sigh, which nonetheless echoed throughout the chamber.

“I know this may seem like an odd choice, but I firmly believe your presence in my stead will demonstrate that Xadia is taking this seriously.”

“But why us?” asked Eryn. “We’re Dragonguard. Our sworn duty is to protect _you_.”

Queen Zubeia pondered this for a moment before offering a reply.

“Eryn,” she began, “what do you think it means to be a Dragonguard?”

What did it _mean_? Eryn had never put too much thought into that; she was a talented archer, talented enough to serve and protect her Queen. It was an honor, yes, but that was the job.

“Well… it’s as I said, Your Majesty,” she finally answered.

“Hm. Arinze?” Queen Zubeia eyed her Sunfire-elven guard.

After a moment, he too responded. “I, um… it’s an honorable, coveted position to protect the Dragon Queen and her son, Your Majesty. As Eryn said.”

“You both sell yourselves short,” said Queen Zubeia with a snort. “The Dragonguard represents the very best of Xadia – all its peoples, races, cultures and talents. All three of you are highly skilled guards and warriors, yes, but Xadia has many of those. You are also intelligent, knowledgeable, and have skills and backgrounds that complement one another nicely.”

Her face fell. “The last Dragonguard, save for Tiadrin and Lain, were cowards. They abandoned their post and in doing so, abandoned all of Xadia. I wish for the new Dragonguard to be better than they were, to be a symbol of Xadia’s strength and progressiveness. To represent the future of our lands – a better, united future. I know it is a heavy burden, but can I ask this of you?”

Eryn stood there, dumbfounded. Represent all of Xadia? This was no longer just a high-ranking guard position.

“As you wish, Your Majesty,” said Arinze tentatively. He was on board. Maybe she could do it too.

“I… yes, as you wish,” she managed. “But who will protect you in our stead?”

“Do not worry. I have already arranged for the Sunfire-elven palace guards since Queen Janai will also be travelling to Katolis. Numerous Dragons and Wyverns will also continue to patrol the spire. Now, pack your things,” she said, leaning in.

“Tomorrow, you will take Pyrrah and travel to the human lands.”

* * *

Ibis stood poised, staring down his odd human pupil who was taking up a similar stance, just as he had taught him.

“Alright Callum, are you ready?”

The boy nodded. “Ready when you are, Master Ibis.”

That was all he needed to hear. With practiced speed and fluency, he began drawing his rune, but the plucky human mage kept pace with him well, recognizing his rune and completing his own barely a fraction of a second later.

_“Fulminis!”_

_“Fulrus!”_

A narrow bolt of lightning shot past Ibis’ fingertips toward Callum, where it arced sharply to the right, harmlessly striking the ground beside him. Good.

Without a moment’s pause, Ibis prepared his next spell, and watching intently once again, so did Callum.

_“Aspiro Frigis!”_

_“Aspiro!”_

Ibis breathed forth a blast of cold air, crystalizing the air in front of him, only for the still-solidifying icy shards to scatter outwards, pushed by Callum’s own mighty force of wind. He was very good at this – but now, it was time to go in closer. He drew another quick rune. _“Gradus Ventus.”_

The air between them still cold and snowy, Ibis rushed forward with long strides, channeling the wind around them beneath his feet.

_“Ventus Circumagis!”_

Buffeted by a twister of air, Ibis pressed forward with another rune. _“Ventus Amnis!”_

Cutting a path of low flow clean through the twister, Ibis lunged toward a now defenseless Callum who was only just quick enough to sidestep. _“Precaeli,”_ he muttered, and the freshly tattooed runes on the back of his hands began to glow. _“Precaeli,”_ muttered Ibis, and his own identical tattoos glowed too.

Ibis slammed his thumb and third finger together just as Callum did the same, building up pressure. The two turned to face each other and released with a snap of their fingers. The air between them expanded outwards with a pop, forcing them both back. But they were still on their feet.

This time Callum rushed forward, snapping his fingers as Ibis deftly weaved to the side, just missing another pulse of pressurized air. Callum continued his assault, better than before but still somewhat clumsy, easy for Ibis’ fluid movements to outmaneuver. Finally, Callum left himself open, and with a snap of his fingers Ibis knocked him backward.

Ibis advanced on him, landing another pressurized snap before Callum began to evade. Ibis started slow, gradually picking up speed as his pupil weaved around the blows with fluidity and focus that simply wouldn’t have been possible a week ago. Though, he still had yet to find an opening to attack. Ibis retained the upper hand, and at this rate he-

_“Ventus Amnis!”_

Ibis’ eyes widened in surprise as a current of air shot at him from the left, shoving him sideways away from Callum. He hadn’t even seen him draw the rune! This boy was indeed something else.

But he had still made a crucial mistake. Getting back to his feet, Ibis rapidly drew one final rune. _“Ventus Spiralis!”_

Callum’s face contorted as the air was sucked from his lungs, unable to draw another rune or siphon any more air. Ibis released, and Callum coughed and sputtered, panting to regain his breath. “Damn… you got me there,” he finally managed. “I didn’t know that could do _that_.”

“Well, you could have figured it out,” said Ibis matter-of-factly. “If a spell can give breath, it can just as easily take it away. You gave me too much of an opening to draw the rune and use it. But,” his face softened, “very well done, nonetheless. You’re leaps and bounds better than when we started, particularly at close range.”

“Thanks, I guess…” He looked unconvinced, still unsure of his newfound skill. Clearly, the boy had never before been good at close-range combat, but Ibis could tell from the beginning that he wasn’t incapable – he just hadn’t been taught the wrong way. Having trained mages and been around Dragonguard for many years, Ibis had seen it before: Callum had a slow reaction time. Likely a consequence of his eidetic memory, it would have made him seem hopeless in things like swordplay or hand-to-hand combat when trained the ‘traditional’ way.

But he wasn’t. He’d just never been trained correctly.

The very same skills that made him an excellent spellcaster could just as well serve him at close range – attention to detail, recall, quick and decisive thinking. Rather than move reactively with lightning reflexes he didn’t have, Ibis had been teaching him to observe and predict. Think on his feet and guide his movements in advance. Outsmart his opponent, not outmaneuver. And it had been working.

Granted, it would take time for him to fully appreciate how far he’d come. Correcting years of improper training was one thing, but changing the preconceptions that came with it was quite another.

Callum stood, wind blowing through his recently shortened hair, gazing off into the distance and the clouds below. He was pensive, preoccupied.

“There is much on your mind, Callum,” said Ibis finally.

He just sighed. “Yeah, you could say that…”

Of course, he had good reason to be preoccupied. Ibis knew that. This young boy was not only a Prince but the High Mage of the largest of the human kingdoms, the one that had led the charge against the Storm Spire last month and _now_ advocated for peace between the lands under the rule of his younger brother. A narrative that would be put to the test over the next few days. Undoubtably, he was worried about facing the other human kingdoms. Worried for his brother. Worried about how the Xadian delegations would be received.

Worried about Rayla.

Ibis was certainly apprehensive at first to their… relationship, once he came to understand the extent of it, but found quickly that it wasn’t something the two could simply be talked out of. In his lifetime, he had never seen a human and an elf feel the way these two felt about one another, and while he himself had no real problem with it, he knew others might not share his sentiment. So, a few days ago, he had sat them down and encouraged them to… be discrete in the coming days. It had been an awkward conversation to say the least, but one he felt was necessary for the peace talks to be a success. If there was any chance a scandal could come of this, it was best not to tempt fate. They had understood.

Something else entirely was on Callum’s mind at the moment, however, though no less of a concern than anything else. “I have to figure out who else was involved with Everdeep…”

Ah yes. Their latest adventure, and quite a dangerous one at that. Callum had heard a name – likely Earthblood, though neither he nor the Queen explicitly recognized it. Perhaps some lesser-known noble from one of the eastern Earthblood territories. In any case, it was clear to him that there was more to this story. And that meant he, his kingdom and his loved ones were still at risk.

“With that, Callum, you will have our support. Unprovoked guerilla attacks and kidnapping have no place in Xadia,” he assured him. They had already sent soldiers to Everdeep, but even after days of interrogation, they had gotten little useful information from the Everdeepians. The chief, likely the only one in the know, was already dead by the time they got there, having likely given in to his wounds after the battle.

Callum turned to face him. “Well, Master Ibis, you and I both know that there’s one big question that needs answering.” He let out a sigh.

“Who is Ferromir?”

* * *

“Uh… Kai, you still in the land of the living? You’re lookin’ pretty spaced out.”

It took Kai a moment to acknowledge Nyx. “Yeah, sorry,” he muttered, blinking a few times for good measure.

He hadn’t been sure what he would find in that scroll Nyx had so nonchalantly handed him, but he certainly hadn’t expected to see _that_ name. _Ferromir._

Just his luck. When he had first left with Nyx, he had wanted so badly to start anew, to be free of a life tethered to Everdeep and the whims of his chief. Granted, things hadn’t exactly been quite as he’d imagined for his fresh start, but his old life had been starting to feel like it was behind him.

But there was no getting around it. This was the name of the man that Chief Nikora had been working with. The one who had ordered the capture of the human prince, but that was about all Kai new. He had never even seen the man. And yet here was a letter from him to Bismoras, summoning him to his residence in the east for a meeting at a specified place and time. Part of him wanted to cast it away, forget he had ever seen it and push the past aside.

But then again…

He remembered the Dragonguard Captain, Rayla. How she had fought for the human prince. He had never thought it possible that humans and elves could tolerate each other, let alone care for one another. He had convinced himself that the kindness that human soldier, Aurelia, had given him years ago must have been an aberration. And over the years that denial had turned to bitterness. But maybe it wasn’t an aberration. Maybe there _could_ actually be peace, and if that were true, then maybe this stolen correspondence was an opportunity. A chance to track down someone who stood in the way of that budding peace – to do something worthwhile.

Now, getting _Nyx_ on board with this would require a very different pitch. One that would speak to her, uh… personal values.

“So… anything worthwhile in that scroll or are you gonna have to look it over a few dozen more times to be sure?” prodded Nyx.

Kai smiled. “It looks like we’re in luck, Nyx. We’ve got an exact location, date and time for a meeting between Bismoras and this eastern Earthblood-elven noble named Ferromir, apparently. It sounds fairly serious – whatever it is, I get the impression there’s a lot of gold involved. If we stake out the location, I’m sure we can find a way to… get in on the action, as you say?”

Kai could already see the gears turning in her head, the mischievous smirk spreading across her face. Dishonest as she may be, she was undeniably cunning. Working together, the two of them just might be able to do something good.

For the first time in a while, Kai was beginning to feel like he had direction, something to work towards that was bigger than himself. He had made up his mind; if memory served, the human prince was the prince of Katolis. He and Nyx would gather information and then send word to the kingdom of Katolis.

* * *

Ezran stood in the main dining hall which, like the rest of the castle, was awash with activity. Fixtures and ornaments were moving in and out, catering was being organized and beside him, Opeli was busily filling him in on expected arrival times of the various delegations. There was a great deal to be done.

“Queen Janai and the Lux Aurean delegation, alongside General Amaya, are ahead of schedule, as per our last communication, and should be arriving late in the evening tonight,” explained Opeli. “The Evenerian and Del Barian delegations should be arriving early tomorrow morning. Prince Callum and the Dragonguard indicated that they should arrive by tomorrow early afternoon. As for the Durenian and Skywing coastal trading guilds’ delegations, we don’t have any specifics, so we should prepare for their arrivals throughout the day tomorrow.”

Ezran nodded. All things considered, everything was going smoothly. The dining hall would be ready to welcome the Lux Aureans tonight, and sufficient guest chambers throughout the castle had been prepared for the impending arrival of their guests throughout tomorrow. Emotions were running high for Ezran – he was excited to see everyone, particularly Rayla after so long, but Callum and Aanya too. He was nervous as well about being taken seriously by all the new faces. And, of course, he was a little stressed.

The past week had been an eventful one, to say the least. Sometime after returning from Duren, Ezran had received word that Callum would be staying on at the Storm Spire for a short while to practice his sky magic. It made sense, and he was happy that his brother would get to spend more time with Rayla and learn more magic, but Callum’s absence leading up to one of Ezran’s biggest endeavors was certainly putting more pressure on the boy king. He even had to remind Callum of his own impending birthday, let alone the arrivals of various delegations that would come with it.

Nevertheless, Ezran remained hopeful that his hard work would pay off. Tensions were running high, but he firmly believed that if he could sit humans and elves down with one another in a friendly environment, everyone would be able to better understand each other and move that much closer to achieving piece. Most of his advisors, including Opeli, were apprehensive to his plan when he first proposed it some weeks ago. The wounds from the Battle of the Storm Spire were still fresh on both sides, and the air of hostility might prove impossible to overcome, they had warned. But Ezran’s boundless optimism had won out, and the plan had moved forward.

Now, that boundless optimism would be put to the test.

There would be some elephants in the room, even without the Neolandians, he knew. Katolis was still officially responsible for leading the assault on the Storm Spire, and while that was mostly cleared up with Queen Zubeia herself, many other Xadian territories either didn’t know the full picture or simply didn’t want to know. As a result, most Xadian nobles and delegates had refused his invitation. He was particularly discouraged by Silvergrove’s refusal, as he was hoping to mend their relationship in particular, but he knew that he had to keep his chin up. They were on surprisingly good terms with Lux Aurea, and the Skywing coastal trading guild seemed open to exploring relations. With any luck, a good rapport with them could spread across Xadia given their trading power. His economic advisors even seemed somewhat hopeful at that prospect.

On the other side of the equation, there was of course the matter of the ‘Xadian’ assassinations of King Florian and Queen Fareeda. Now, more than ever, he was convinced that the assassinations had nothing to do with Xadia. His investigation strongly suggested that the assassins were in fact apparitions conjured by dark magic, which could only mean one thing – Viren. He just needed a way to prove it, and with any luck, Callum would be able to help him do just that.

As another slew of ornaments were brought into the dining room, Ezran saw two of his Crownguards approaching him to rotate out. They were among the finest guards a King could ask for, but the very finest wasn’t beside him at the moment. Soren had requested the afternoon off, promising to be back in time to welcome the Lux Aurean delegation, and Ezran had of course allowed it. He had plenty of guards at the moment, but besides that, Soren had been visibly stressed and less cheerful the past few days – hopefully a few hours off would do him some good. Soren had become more than just a guard – over the years, he had grown quite fond of the older boy. He hoped he was doing alright…

* * *

Striding into town atop his horse in the light of the mid-afternoon sun, clad in his signature Crownguard armor, Soren was not what you would call inconspicuous. He was vaguely aware of the stares he was getting as he trotted to his destination – not of apprehension or malice, nor of anything like reverence, but just… intrigued. It wasn’t often that a Crownguard like himself ventured into town without a patrol in tow or a clear purpose.

So, why _was_ he here? It seemed so silly, he knew – the Lux Aurean delegation would be arriving tonight, and from then on, he would be on the clock pretty much non-stop. This would be the only downtime he’d be getting in a while, so by all accounts he should be napping or sipping some iced draught beer with the boys.

But since yesterday, he had been unable to get that strange old man out of his head. He was a masterful swordsman, yes, but there was something else about him.

Dismounting his horse, he tentatively approached the front door to Den’s modest house and took a deep breath before knocking. Immediately, he started to overthink. Was Den even being serious when he said he should stop by in the afternoon? He could be out, or busy, and why should he even trust this-

The door opened, and Den smiled knowingly.

“Soren, good to see you, lad,” he said. “Please, come in. I’ve just put the kettle on.”

* * *

The Neolandian town of Khajabi was a harsh, unforgiving place. Within just a couple days, Corvus could already tell that much. And somewhere in the crowds, back-alleys and tightly packed homes were thieves, brigands and dark mages who were launching attacks on Duren. That was why he was here, alongside two Durenian assassins, Neha and Sachin, as well as Durenian Crownguard Vedika, the latter of whom was perhaps a touch out of her depth on a reconnaissance mission. To her credit, she had been trying very hard, but she lacked the twitchiness and subtlety that came naturally to the other two.

So, since they had to split up to avoid arousing suspicion, Corvus elected to stick with Vedika in a cheap, inconspicuous inn so that he could… keep an eye on her. Already, she had been demonstrating a tendency to act impulsively, and if she wasn’t careful it could get her killed. The other two, Neha and Sachin, had ‘moved into’ a modest neighborhood from a nearby town and were trying to learn what they could about the attacks from the locals. Thankfully, their assassin skills translated nicely to espionage, and Durenians like them looked Neolandian enough, so they had already managed to get some useful bits of information. As they knew, King Ahling was still not fully recovered from his injuries, and the Neolandian cabinet had been struggling to take control of the kingdom and appoint someone to power following the death of Prince Kasef.

However, there were rumors that a relatively minor noble had discretely forced his way into power and was working the kingdom like a puppet master in the shadows, using the unrest and disarray of the kingdom as a cover for an organized movement to rise up against Xadia and unification. Of course, it could have been merely hearsay, but it was the best lead they had.

Corvus had spent the day doing his best to follow up on that lead, tracking down and tailing Neolandian higher-ups and nobles as close as he dared in hopes of learning something that would either support that story or provide a new lead. So far, unfortunately, he was having little success.

Unlike the other three, Corvus couldn’t hope to pass as Neolandian. People with his skin tone were almost exclusively Katolian, with rare few exceptions being those whose families migrated away from Katolis generations ago. Given how high Katolis’ standards of living were relative to the other human kingdoms, though, such families were few and far between – who would want to leave Katolis? As a result, he was often assumed to be of noble descent or upper-class, which made him decidedly conspicuous outside Katolis, much to his constant chagrin.

Usually, he was able to stay out of trouble despite this thanks to his honed skills in tracking and stealth, but as he now walked down an alleyway back to the inn, he began to notice an increasing number of thugs crawling out of the woodworks and not-so-subtly tailing him. Nobody else seemed to be around. Finally, he stopped.

“The lot of you could stand to work on your stealth,” he spoke. The thugs shuffled behind him – listening in, he surmised that there were five of them.

“I don’t know if you can tell, but you’re surrounded and outnumbered,” one of them snarled. “Give us all your valuables, and we might let you walk out of here with your life.”

Corvus sighed. Usually, five enemies surrounding him would be a cause for alarm, but he could hear the quiver in his assailant’s voice. He heard the way the shuffled uneasily to surround him. These were no professionals; they weren’t even trained. They were poor, scared, and desperate, hoping that together they might be able to intimidate an unsuspecting passerby. It wasn’t going to work here.

In one swift motion, he unfurled his hook-chain from underneath his cloak and expertly flung it at the thug directly behind him, ensnaring him. Shifting his weight, he yanked back and to the right, pulling the thug and sending him careening into the other two by Corvus’ right before any of them could react. Finally, the one to his left made a lunge at him, but using his momentum Corvus caught his arm and flung him in front of him into the path of the last remaining thug, knocking them both back at once with a swift kick.

As the thugs behind him managed to get up and hobble away, Corvus grabbed the one in front of him by the collar and shoved him up against the wall. “I- I’m sorry, sir, please spare me!” he whimpered.

“You’ve made a big mistake, my friend,” spat Corvus, “but you might be useful to me yet. Now tell me,” he raised the hook of his hook-chain to the thug’s abdomen for good measure, “what do you know about the recent attacks on Duren? And have you heard of any dark magic in this area?”

Corvus could see the fear in the thug’s eyes. He was just a young ruffian, probably 16 or 17. “I don’t know much… but I’ve heard rumors of some sort of group of activists that practices dark magic. Called, uh, Liberation… group, I think?”

“You _think_?” demanded Corvus, pressing his hook to the boy. He knew that wasn’t right; Corvus could tell, even through the fear.

“Wait, please! Maybe not group, something with a C…”

“Consortium?” offered Corvus. That wasn’t it either. “Coalition? Collective?” At that last one, Corvus could see recognition in the boy’s eyes. “Th-that’s it!” Corvus released the boy. “Thanks for your help,” he said. Not wasting a moment, the boy ran off at full speed.

He wasn’t actually going to hurt the boy – he felt sorry for him. He was probably just desperate to feed his family. But some careful interrogation and intimidation got him exactly what he needed. A real lead.

Heading back toward the inn, Corvus was plotting his next moves to uncover Neolandia’s secret so-called Liberation Collective. They were going to put a stop to these attacks yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, for anyone who’s been reading this since I last posted… uh, surprise, I’m (just about) alive! Yeah, not gonna lie, life kinda caught up to me leading up to the end of the semester and getting back into the groove of this story has taken a minute. I hope I haven’t lost too many of you by taking so long with this, and I apologize if this chapter feels a little disjointed – some bits were written weeks apart from others. I’ve still got lots more planned out, and still hope to finish the rest of part 2 by the end of the summer! I’m gonna shoot to get the next chapter done by next Sunday, but failing that, at the very least I’ll shoot for the Sunday after that. Come on, anabelsraikou, you can do this… maybe…  
> I hope this chapter at least ended up enjoyable. Do let me know your thoughts with a review!


	3. The Great Human Mage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Corvus and the Durenians learn more about the attacks and dark magic in Neolandia, Fawaz and Ariana arrive with their respective delegations in Katolis, and Nyx and Kai stumble upon something truly disturbing.

Alone in a shady traveler’s inn in unfamiliar territory, with evening fast-approaching, Vedika was finding herself to be traversing down ever-darker lines of thought. As she paced the narrow confines of her cramped room, she began to wonder if something had happened to Corvus. If he wouldn’t be coming back – if she would die out here in foreign lands away from the kingdom she called home.

On that note, she heard the clattering of a pebble against the closed shutters of the window and froze in her tracks. The signal? Or…?

Cautiously, she crept over to the window and peered out. There stood the cloaked figure whom she recognized to be Corvus, just visible in the receding light. Alone. Satisfied, she opened the window and let down a thick piece of rope fastened at one end to a fixture by the window by a knot that she had checked probably a dozen times in the past half hour alone. Corvus grabbed onto it and expertly hoisted himself all the way up, his worn leather boots pattering softly against the wooden exterior of the inn as he did, only audible if one was paying very close attention.

Finally, he was inside, and Vedika let out a sigh of relief she had been holding in for at least the past hour. Her life as a Crownguard was one thing, but staying hidden in enemy territory with no idea what each day would bring was… outside of her typical comfort zone, to say the least.

“My apologies for the delay, Vedika. I had a bit of a run-in with some thugs on the way back,” he said matter-of-factly.

So, that definitely qualified as outside her typical comfort zone.

“You _what_ now?” she demanded. They were supposed to be laying low, he had said that himself!

“Nothing major,” he hurriedly affirmed. “I don’t think they’ll try bothering me again, and they didn’t seem like the types to find people who would. We should be safe.”

Vedika nodded slowly, still largely unconvinced.

“More importantly,” said Corvus, changing the subject, “I got some information from them. Apparently, there’s some underground group called the Liberation Collective that might be practicing dark magic. We should try to work that lead, but we’ll also have to plot our next moves with extreme care. If we say the wrong thing to the wrong people, we could completely blow our cover.”

“Right. Of course,” said Vedika, a hint of nervousness creeping into her voice since she hadn’t _exactly_ stayed put like she was supposed to.

In her defense, this was _her_ kingdom they were trying to protect, and had she truly remained in the inn for hours on end doing nothing, she might actually have gone insane. She had to be useful, and even if this was unfamiliar territory for her, it certainly beat being alone with her thoughts. So, she had ventured out to the market, unsure of what she would find but hoping that with careful conversation, she could learn something, _anything_ of use. As she was buying food that they would need to supplement the few rations they had, she had probed the merchants tentatively with casual lines rehearsed in her head. While not particularly informative themselves, one of them had directed her to a twitchy information broker who spoke in a low voice. For what little coin she could spare, he had provided a cryptic piece of information:

_The Evergreen of Jhotir is the Ivory Stallion_

As far as she knew, it could have been total gibberish, made up by some profiteering swindler. But it could also be a real clue – one for which they just didn’t yet have all the pieces.

Still, no point mentioning that now.

“You were here the whole time, right? Nothing happened while I was gone?” asked Corvus.

Vedika snapped back to reality. “Huh? Oh, well… I _did_ make a quick trip to the market to top up our rations – but I was careful, I promise!”

“You didn’t talk to any shifty characters… right?” Corvus probed, eyes narrowing.

“What? Of course not!” she said with a forced chuckle, a little too uneasily. “That would be stupid.”

“…alright then,” said Corvus, apparently satisfied. “Tomorrow, we should touch base with Neha and Sachin, and plan our next moves from there. We’ll have to get going before the crack of dawn tomorrow to avoid arousing suspicion, so for now, we should get some rest.”

“Agreed,” said Vedika with a sigh. This day had been plenty stressful, and she was certainly looking forward to shutting her eyes for a bit.

As she settled herself into one side of the room’s lone bed, Corvus made his way to the rations, and with her eyes shut Vedika could hear him eating for a few minutes. But soon, the eating stopped, and after another few minutes Vedika grew puzzled.

“I thought we were going to sleep,” she muttered, getting up to find that the windows were shut, the candle was put out and with the faint light through the shutters, she could just about make out Corvus curled up in a ball on the floor.

“Huh? Erm… we were?” ventured Corvus.

“On the _floor_?” she asked pointedly. “This bed isn’t huge, but there’s about enough space for both of us, you know.”

Corvus’ silence was deafening before he managed a reply. “Well, Vedika, I… had assumed that would be improper?”

“Corvus, I really don’t mind,” she assured. “As you said, it’s important that we’re both properly rested.”

He seemed at a loss. “But you, er, you’re the Royal Durenian Head Crownguard. And, um…” he trailed off.

“And I’m a girl, so it’s awkward?” she finished. At the end of the day, he was just being bashful.

“No! I’m a professional tracker who’s spent many a night alone in the woods, so I daresay I can handle a night on the floor of an inn. Besides, I was simply trying to give you the personal space that you’re accustomed to!” he huffed, uncharacteristically.

Vedika laughed. “Corvus, we’re in a tiny, hole-in-the-wall inn deep in what is most likely hostile territory with each other as pretty much the only people we can trust other than Sachin and Neha, who are in a house on the other side of town. I think we’re well beyond a discussion of personal space.”

Corvus was silent for a moment.

“Look,” she continued. “I don’t for a moment doubt that you’ve spent many nights on the forest floor and were totally fine with it. But we’re not _in_ a forest right now, are we? There’s a bed right here, and I’m not using all of it. Answer me this: In a vacuum, given the choice between a bed and the floor, which would give you a better night’s sleep?”

“…well, the bed, I suppose,” he finally answered.

“Right. So, get off the floor and get into the bed like a normal human,” she said bluntly.

Slowly but surely, Corvus got up from his position on the floor and set himself down on the other side of the bed, rigidly plastering himself to the far side and not moving a hair closer to her than necessary. Vedika sighed.

“Good grief, Corvus, _relax_. I’m not going to stab you if you accidentally touch me.”

Corvus exhaled deeply, allowing himself a tiny bit more of the bed as he did. “Right, sorry,” he muttered.

Vedika chuckled. “No need to apologize to me.” Finally, she turned her head away and shut her eyes once again, allowing herself to slip into a much-needed slumber. It was going to be a long day tomorrow.

“Good night, Corvus,” she said.

“Good night,” he replied.

* * *

On the final leg of their long journey, Fawaz got up from his cramped quarters in the back of one of the delegation’s carriages to take up the reins for his shift. The sight that greeted him was like nothing he could have imagined.

They were in the Capital town now, and the cobblestone streets that lay ahead of them were lined with homes, businesses and people so different and more densely packed than anywhere Fawaz had ever known, most looking up at their carriages with similar awe and curiosity, as well as apprehension.

Just ahead, towering above it all, stood the Katolian Royal Castle in all its glory, bigger than any single structure Fawaz knew of back home in Evenere. Its mighty girth and thick walls gave it a clear separation from all the hubbub around it, with the two uneven towers majestically punctuating the horizon.

At the beginning of their journey, he could convince himself that things were close to what he was used to. Yes, the ship they had used to cross the gulf had been much bigger and fancier than anything he had sailed before, but the tasks of navigating, hoisting the sails and holding a boat steady in open water were all familiar to him. Conducting a mule-drawn carriage through the foreign Katolian lands was less so, but he had ultimately found the dutiful animals to be similar in temperament to the slower, burlier hippoxen from home. What he’d seen of Katolis up to this point of the journey had been different, but not overwhelming. Sure, there were less swamps and more forests, structures less of straw and mud and more of stone and wood, but he was gradually getting a sense of what Katolis was like.

Nothing, however, could have prepared him for the Capital.

Granted, he had never been to the Evenerian Capital, but as his carriage crossed onto the massive stone bridge flanked with guards that would lead them to the main gate of the castle, looming ever closer in its enormity, he felt certain that it was nothing like this. As his eyes roamed the steep cliffs upon which the castle sat, and the roaring rapids below, he had to shake himself out of his awestruck stupor to focus on keeping the mules in a straight line to cross the bridge.

Soon, their procession emerged into what must have been some sort of royal courtyard, and was quickly flanked by guards and stewards, cordially welcoming them to the Royal Castle. Before long a young boy emerged, accompanied by advisors and heavily armed guards, wearing an elegant gold crown and a flowing maroon cape. That must have been the boy king of Katolis, Fawaz surmised. To have such power at such a young age…

Having disembarked from the procession, their own Evenerian delegation went to meet them – the head Crownguard, ministers of trade, agriculture and infrastructure, Lord Sayf and Queen Amani herself. Eldest daughter of the late Queen Fareeda, and only a couple years older than Fawaz himself, she had been… a handful during the journey, to say the least. Constant complaining, endless snarky and condescending comments – but maybe that was just the way people his age were when they had only known a life of luxury. Fawaz sighed. As breathtaking as everything around him had been, there was no denying the fact that he was very much alone. The rest of the crew was much older than himself, and there was little chance he would have much in common with anyone else his age around here.

It was time for him and the rest of the crew to disembark and lead the mules to the stables. Once the Katolian guards had led them there, Fawaz couldn’t help but notice some very foreign-looking carriages and some bizarre four-legged animals he didn’t recognize in the stables. A handful of foreign-but-not-noble-looking people looked to be just on their way out of the stables. They must have come from another kingdom – maybe Del Bar? Among them was a girl who looked to be about his age. For a fleeting moment, their eyes met. He gave her half a smile before she exited out the doors of the stable.

Huh. Maybe there _was_ someone here who was a little bit like him.

* * *

Over the past couple days, Soren had developed a newfound respect for everything Opeli, Callum and _especially_ little Ezran had to deal with on a daily basis.

Diplomacy was _hard_.

As Head Crownguard, Soren was often by Ezran’s side as he met with the nobles and dignitaries from Lux Aurea, Del Bar, and now Evenere, maintaining a ‘dignified stature’ as Opeli had put it. Honestly, it was pretty draining. But looking at what 10-year-old Ezran had to do, he soon realized he was the lucky one.

At least he was feeling a little more like himself – he had Den to thank for that, he supposed. Yesterday afternoon, in addition to some swordplay practice, they had spent some time just talking. Soren had long since forgotten just how helpful that could be. After all, he had never had the most understanding or… emotionally sensitive father. Soren hadn’t expected himself to open up like he did, and he certainly hadn’t expected Den to be so receptive. But he had been warm and kind and… insightful, showing Soren that there were many different ways to think about something that was bothering him, some more effective than others. Soren had been struggling for a long time with changing how he thought about certain things. He was so used to things being black and white, and having someone to tell him what was what, really.

That notion seemed to translate to the swordplay practice, too. Even when he had gotten frustrated with himself, thinking he was just not fast or strong enough for a certain move, there always seemed to be another, better way to approach it.

He was worried about the rogue he’d fought the other day – dangerous, already killed someone, and still on the loose. All guards in the Capital city were on high alert, and while a large part of him wanted to track the rogue down himself, he was trying to think of it from another angle like Den had taught him.

Someone with that kind of skill wouldn’t just randomly kill people. What had broken out in the market was apparently provoked by guards noticing the strange masked figure. No – this rogue would likely target the castle. So, the best thing he could do would be to stay here, keep the castle fortified and most importantly, protect the royal family. Speaking of…

“Sir, I think I’ve got sight of them! They should be touching down within the castle walls very shortly.”

Still peering out of his monocular, the watchman’s proclamation set the guards in motion for Prince Callum’s imminent arrival. Still at his side, Ezran looked up at him with a wide, infectious grin. “Soren, it’s time for the grand arrival!”

The castle was soon awash with activity and fanfare as they made their way to the main courtyard. It was going to be a grand entrance for the Crown Prince and High Mage of Katolis.

* * *

Ariana was positively exhausted. Guiding the Del Barian delegation in carriages through the rocky, mountainous terrain before crossing the inlet bridge into Katolis had been no joke, taxing not just her but all of the older guides as well. At least their pack of strong mountain goats had been suitable for the job – but then, of course, they were slower than one might hope on the relatively flat terrain in Katolis.

She still wasn’t quite sure what to make of this kingdom. With its lush forests and plentiful streams all teeming with wildlife, she had to admit it was quite beautiful. But that had quickly turned to bitterness – the communities and towns here just had no idea how good they had it, did they? Most of these Katolians would probably have died within weeks in the harsh, unforgiving mountains she called home. And yet, they had so much. Particularly here in the Capital. This castle, from what she had seen of it so far, was the pinnacle of excess. Even the servant’s quarters, where she lay resting right now, were nicer than she was used to.

At least she could be grateful for that.

“Hey, Ariana?” From her resting position, she turned to see that Tomas had entered the quarters. One of her fellow guides, the good-natured 19-year-old had taken to looking out for her throughout the journey. Granted, she sometimes found herself fed up with being babied, but she appreciated him, nonetheless.

“I think the Katolians wanted all the guests in the courtyard. Guess that includes us,” he said.

So, they were _guests_ now? That was certainly news to her. Granted, the Katolians had been nothing but courteous to them, but that didn’t make looking after the Del Barian delegation feel like any less of a chore. Whatever. Best not to keep their esteemed hosts waiting.

By the time she reached the courtyard, it was completely packed. Doing her best to peer between the mass of heads and shoulders, she could see several Katolian guards with horns and drums at the ready surrounding an open clearing. The atmosphere was… anticipatory. But for what? The clearing was surrounded by people from all sides. There was no way for any sort of procession to get in, unless it…

Taking the cue from those around her, she chanced a glance up, and her jaw hung open at what she saw. Something huge was descending from the sky, broad angular wings like a silhouette traced by a ring of light as it momentarily passed in front of the bright midday sun.

A dragon.

The baffled and surprised mutterings around her quickly devolved into alarm, people shouting and shoving one another as others tried to instill some sense of calm. Frankly, Ariana found the pushing and scrambling to be pointless – if this dragon was actually malevolent, they were all going to die anyway.

But, instead of being engulfed in flames, the horns and drums started, and the dragon touched down in the clearing. Once the initial shock had passed, and it seemed unlikely that this massive beast had any interest in killing anyone, she finally took a good look. It was a large red dragon with a beige belly and two long… whiskers?

What _really_ took her breath away, though, wasn’t the dragon itself but the fact that there were people on top of it; what looked to be four elves, and one human.

The boy king of Katolis reached for the dragon’s snout and – did he just give the dragon a hug? He then gave a tight hug not only to the one human who dismounted, but also one of the elves, like they were old friends. Ariana had heard that Katolis was trying to make peace with Xadia. That the king was advocating for an open border and an end to hostilities. Even _that_ notion alone made her apprehensive – the official report may have said that Lord Viren had led their armies into Xadia under false pretenses, but that didn’t change the fact that her father _and_ her king had died by Xadian hands. So, even though she was managing to be civil, seeing the ruler of the largest of the Human Kingdoms being so chummy with the elves… it just didn’t sit well with her.

Finally, the fanfare stopped, and the boy king raised the hand of boy who had just gotten off the dragon – about her age, probably, and with strange tattoos on his arms, but slouchy, fidgety and generally not a presence to behold. He couldn’t _actually_ be who she thought he was, could he?

“Ladies and gentlemen!” began the king, as loud as his young, high-pitched voice could muster. “Please join me in welcoming Prince Callum, High Mage of Katolis!”

Really. _This_ was the so-called great human mage?

* * *

Admittedly, Callum had been a little more… hands-off with respect to his upcoming birthday and the arrivals of the delegations than he perhaps should have been, leaving most of it up to Ezran and his advisors. In his defense, there had been a lot going on the past week or so, to say the least. And by the looks of things, there still would be – truly no rest for the weary.

So, when Pyrrah had touched down in the castle, he hadn’t quite been sure what to expect. As a result, the drums, horns, fanfare, and mass of people in the courtyard with expressions ranging from celebratory to abjectly horrified had caught him a little off guard. He would have to talk to Ezran about that. You could forgive him, then, for being slightly frazzled when Ezran lifted his hand in the air to introduce him to the crowd.

“Ladies and gentlemen! Please join me in welcoming Prince Callum, High Mage of Katolis!”

Slowly but surely, some enthusiastically and some apprehensively, the applause began. It lasted for a short moment, and then Ezran’s elbow prodding his side brought him back to reality. Right. Speech. He was the man of the hour.

“Um, hello… everyone! I, uh…” Crap, what was he even _saying?_ Hadn’t he been over this at least a dozen times on the way here? “I know most of you have only recently arrived and are getting settled, so I won’t take up too much of your time.” Already doing that. Come on, Callum, pick up the pace.

“Tha- uh, thank you! For the warm welcome, that is. And, of course, I would like to welcome _you_ all… to Katolis, my home.” Thanks, Captain Obvious. Well this was just going swimmingly, now wasn’t it?

“I know that you all have a lot of different thoughts and emotions about… well, everything, especially given the past couple months. A lot of big feelings, as my family would say. I would like to thank each and every one of you, from the bottom of my heart, for being here. Peace isn’t easy. My brother and I, we learned that the hard way. It requires strength, commitment, resolve and above all, love. But I know that we all have what it takes. If we really put our minds and our hearts into it, I believe that everyone here can benefit from genuine, lasting peace.” That was it. That was all he had. Hardly as eloquent as he had hoped, but he meant it.

Another tentative ripple of applause. Surely, they should let the crowd go now. They must all be exhausted, and frankly, so was he. No point keeping them any longer. But a voice from the crowd seemed to prove otherwise.

“Show us some magic!”

There was a brief silence before others joined in with rising enthusiasm. “Yeah, cast a spell!”

“Make some lightning!”

“We wanna see!”

Callum looked to his brother for help who simply gave him a shrug, clearly just as confused as he was. Nothing else for it, then.

“Alright. Alright!” he declared. “I’ll show you all my lightning spell.”

* * *

A hush fell over the crowd and the sense of anticipation was tangible as Fawaz watched closely. He would get to see firsthand if the rumors were true – if there really was a human out there who could do primal magic. He hadn’t even seen _any_ magic before, and now he would get to see the rarest kind?

The Katolian Prince looked nervous, like he wasn’t used to such a big crowd. He almost didn’t seem very… princely, but then again, what did Fawaz know?

With his next breath, though, the prince seemed to block it all out. Suddenly, he was focused, like Fawaz was when sailing through rough water. He knew that feeling. In those moments, there was nothing but him and the ebb and flow of the waves. That was what he saw in the human prince’s face as he reached out his finger.

Sure enough, a blue glow materialized at his fingertip and followed its movements, tracing an intricate sky-blue rune in the air, crackling with small bursts of lightning. People around him gasped, murmuring amongst one another, but Fawaz was transfixed.

 _“Fulminis!”_ The prince’s voice rang out with a force and clarity completely unlike his speech. Even so, it was immediately overshadowed by what followed.

A loud, thunderous boom seemed to fill the entire courtyard as a streak of lightning flashed above their heads, lasting for only a moment but seeming to energize the air around it, arching, tracing, fraying.

It was absolutely breathtaking. Even after everything he had heard, and all of his fascination with the idea of a human primal mage, he could never have imagined anything quite like this.

This must have been what it truly meant to be a mage.

* * *

Despite being stuck behind a wall in a cramped, dark corridor just out of sight, with the ever-present threat of being caught, Nyx was filled with a devious excitement. Whoever this Ferromir person was, they had stumbled upon something _big._

A little while ago, they had been outside in a discrete forest clearing where an exchange between Bismoras and Ferromir had been taking place. From what they gathered, Bismoras had been delivering a large quantity of a certain precious mineral upon Ferromir’s request – not gold or gemstones, but something called bewegite, apparently only found deep in the caves of Mt. Fortimus. Clearly, that made it worth a lot, and the stacks upon stacks of gold that Ferromir had produced so nonchalantly in exchange had been a testament to that.

And yet, they weren’t going after the gold. Because Kai had made the very keen observation that if Ferromir could trade that much gold and hardly bat an eye, there must have been a lot more where that came from. So, they had tailed Ferromir and not Bismoras, managing to get themselves inside what appeared to be some sort of secret lair – far more elaborate and impressive than anything such a minor noble should have access to. For her and Kai, that was certainly a good sign.

As she was giddily brainstorming all the valuable goods they could steal from a place like this, Kai pulled her sharply into a corridor. As it turned out, Ferromir was standing in an archway just ahead. He was doing… something. Cautiously, she and Kai peered around the corner to get a better look.

A lump of that mineral, bewegite, was positioned in the center of the archway and adorned with a variety of plants and other rocks, alongside what looked to be two bowls of mud. Across from Ferromir was and older Earthbloof elf with a short, hunched-over stature. Nyx watched closely as Ferromir drew a golden-brown rune in the air and uttered an incantation.

 _“Auctus Involcrum.”_ The mud lifted out of the bowls to envelop the mineral as thick, dense roots burst from the ground, all molded by the deft movements of Ferromir’s hands to create the bipedal shape of some sort of hulking beast. Nyx’s expression shifted from excitement to bemusement and eventually worry as Ferromir then picked up a large, juicy-looking root from the floor and violently squished it in his hand. Suddenly, his eyes began to glow a bright purple and the color drained from his face.

_“Htrae gnivomnu eht ot efil evig”_

Now, Nyx was be no means a good, virtuous person. She had seen and even directly _caused_ plenty of nasty stuff in her time. But the unholy madness unfolding before her very eyes was somehow managing to tug at the moral compass she didn’t even know she still had. This was unnatural. It… felt so wrong.

Clearly, the old man felt similarly as he shuddered before the spastic, horrifying convulsions of this mass of mineral and mud. Before long, this… _thing_ was standing on its own two feet, heaving, and let out a pained, distorted roar that seemed to curse whatever twisted power had brought it into existence. Through it all, Ferromir wore a smug smile. Finally, the old man spoke.

“Ferromir, what is the meaning of this madness!?”

Ferromir shook his head, tutting. “Ah, Pyroxius, do you not recognize the work of an artist when you see it? Can you not see that I have created _life_?”

“It… it’s horrific, Ferromir.”

“It’s _powerful_ ,” countered Ferromir. “I have perfected the dark arts of human ‘magic’ and elevated it to a new level. I am a pioneer in my field, and thanks to _my_ work, we now have the resources to wage war on Katolis!”

Pyroxius looked taken aback. “Ferromir, believe me, I am no more a fan of the notion of peace with the human kingdoms than yourself, but… to wage war on the humans so brazenly, and without proper support?”

“You think too small, Pyroxius,” Ferromir chided. “These golems are an embodiment of pure rage, as resilient as the earth itself _and_ able to regenerate. With these, we won’t _need_ the support of any other Xadian territories – our own battalions and assassins will be enough to pick off what remains once the golems have done their work. And right now, the humans are weak, vulnerable, divided. The time to strike is now.”

There was an uncomfortable pause as Pyroxius considered all of this. “I… erm, you have given me a great deal to consider, Ferromir. I will raise the issue in private with the Adamas Fortimus council.”

“Yes, a very prudent plan,” pondered Ferromir, until his face hardened, and he looked Pyroxius dead in the eyes. “But, to be frank, you may find it more effective to approach the head of military directly. It seems unnecessary to involve the council and his royal majesty for such a… _simple_ matter. Surely, you understand?”

All up in Pyroxius’ face, Ferromir no longer looked like some minor noble. No – this was an all-powerful mastermind, a _villain_ even. And… looking closer, was there something on his ear? Something small and blue?

Pyroxius gulped. “I… yes, Ferromir, y-you might be right,” he stammered.

Just then, the golem began to look around the space, scanning with those mutilated orifices that must have been eyes while emitting a daunting growl. In one swift motion, it snapped its head toward the corridor that she and Kai were hiding in.

Almost locking eyes with her.

Nyx yelped, and immediately moved her hand to cover her mouth, too late. It had been too quiet. The sound had carried.

She had been heard.

Her whole body was trembling now as Ferromir turned to her and Kai’s general direction. “…oh? It seems we may have some uninvited guests.” The golem was breathing more heavily now, heaving, its giant body looking ready to charge at any moment.

“ _Run_ ,” said Kai, and the next moment, the golem was bounding down the corridor after them, at a speed that seemed to defy all logic given its size.

The next few moments were a blur. Partially being dragged by Kai, partially running and beating her wings for dear life, they just barely stayed ahead of the hulking beast. Somehow, in a deft weave, Kai got it to punch a whole in the wall, opening the lair up to the outside world.

That was all Nyx needed to see. Grabbing Kai, the two of them flew out of harm’s way as fast as physically possible, going as far as she could manage while still panting, pupils dilated with fear and adrenaline coursing through her veins. Eventually, once she felt they were far enough away and then some, she half-landed and half-crashed into a small, concealed clearing between some trees.

Kai took a moment to get up and collect himself, but Nyx was still on her knees, pulse racing and a million thoughts running through her head, none of them coherent.

“What,” she finally began, “the everloving _fuck_ was that!?”

There was a pause before Kai answered. “…I don’t know, Nyx. I really have no clue.”

“Oh, Garlath,” she sobbed, head in her hands now. “We should have just gone after that schmuck Bismoras again. We could have made some more easy-peasy gold and been nowhere even _near_ that – the – _any_ of that!”

“That was… certainly a lot to take in,” said Kai.

“A lot to take in? You _think_?” yelled Nyx. “That was sick, twisted… _so_ many levels of wrong! We had _no_ business being anywhere _near_ there!”

“Right, but the fact is, we _were_ there,” said Kai, more firmly now. “Nyx, you heard them! They’re planning to wage war on Katolis with those monsters, behind the rest of Xadia’s back!”

Nyx fixed him with a bewildered stare. “Well, quite frankly, I don’t see how that’s _any_ of our goddamn business!” she snapped.

“Nyx, this is _everyone’s_ goddamn business!” Kai roared. “You keep saying that we look out for ourselves, and that in this cutthroat world, we can’t afford to ‘play the hero’ or whatever. That’s total bullshit! If we do nothing, Xadia and the Human Kingdoms could have an all-out war. People all around us would die, homes and villages would burn to the ground, and then how are we supposed to ‘look out for ourselves’, huh? Do you really want to be ‘opportunistic’ when the world is falling to fucking pieces!?”

Nyx was speechless. She had never seen Kai get so worked up about anything before.

Evidently trying to collect himself, Kai let out a sigh. “Nyx, you’re shaking. And not just because of what I said. Back there, you were _terrified_ of what you saw. It was sick and wrong, you said so yourself. Would you really wish that upon an entire kingdom?”

She _was_ shaking, and she had been the entire time, she realized with a start. This was all too much. She was just a common crook and opportunist. A con artist. She had no business whatsoever being anywhere _near_ some dastardly villainous plot. And yet, here she was, and she hadn’t the faintest idea how to deal with it.

“Fine, I guess not,” she said bitterly, “but what do you suppose we do about it exactly?”

“Well, you and I both know the Crown Prince of Katolis, don’t we?” asked Kai.

She nodded tentatively, really not liking where this was going.

“We need to send word to him about this. Right now.”

* * *

Having crept across town before daybreak, when the streets were all but empty, Corvus and Vedika were finally in Neha and Sachin’s house, both of whom had taken on pseudonyms and assumed new identities to remain inconspicuous as they gathered information. Anyone seeing all four of them together could jeopardize the whole operation, so all the windows and blinds were shut. They weren’t taking any chances.

Sitting together around a modestly-sized candlelit table, Corvus could see that none of the three of them were really quite awake. To be fair, it was an absurd hour to be up, particularly if you weren’t accustomed to it like Corvus was. Having done this before, he was feeling adequately rested and ready to go.

Though, he at least partially had Vedika to thank for that.

“Alright then, Neha and Sachin,” he began, “why don’t you two fill us in on what you’ve learned?”

Sachin took a moment to stifle a yawn. “So, we’ve been getting to know the ins and outs of the neighborhood. In doing so, we got a better sense of political ‘chapters’ present in Khajabi – they’re called Battra, Madhaar, Jhotir and… Neruli, was it?” Neha nodded. “Yeah, those are the big four in this region,” Sachin continued.

Neha picked up right where he left off. “So, there _are_ rumors of a ‘puppet master’ of sorts who’s leading the kingdom from the shadows. In hopes of tracking down anyone in the chapters associated with this figure, we’ve been keeping a list of all the names we know from each chapter. Most names come up in casual conversation, but there are a few lesser-known ones.”

Corvus nodded, taking this all in. Vedika seemed deep in thought too. “I’ve been tailing a couple nobles myself,” he said. “I think I know which chapters they belong to, but it would be a good idea to compare notes. The biggest lead I managed to get, though, was from some street thug. Apparently, there’s an underground group called the Liberation Collective that practices dark magic and might be involved in the guerilla attacks.”

Sachin nodded, gears visibly turning in his head. “Yeah, that might be just the lead we need! We’ve also heard whispers of some underground organization doing ‘something’ and associated with the ‘puppet master’, but the only solid lead we managed to get was a cryptic codename of their leader, apparently.”

“Well, that’s certainly better than nothing. Let’s hear it,” said Corvus.

“The Ivory Stallion.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Corvus saw Vedika seize up for a moment. Like she recognized something and was now trying to hide it. Slowly, he turned to face her, and Vedika blinked a couple times, putting on her best innocent face. “Vedika,” he began firmly, “anything you’d like to share?”

Corvus wasn’t stupid. He _knew_ that while he had been out, Vedika had done more than she had told him. She wasn’t a very convincing liar, and though he could have pressed her then, it had been a tiring enough day and he had decided that it could wait. Now, though, he needed to know.

Vedika sighed. “Alright, _fine_!” she conceded. “While I was out getting food yesterday, I _might_ have poked around just a little with some casual conversation. But nothing serious or implicating!”

Corvus nodded slowly. Not what he had told her to do, but fine, that seemed sensible enough.

But she continued. “And, well… one of them directed me to an information broker.”

Corvus groaned as his face connected with the palm of his hand. Oh, there would _definitely_ be a lecture coming her way. But right now, they needed to plan. “Okay. Pretending for a moment that you didn’t completely jeopardize our safety, what did the information broker tell you?”

She let out a defeated sigh but pressed on. “At the time, I thought it was gibberish, which is why I, uh… didn’t say anything. He said, _the Evergreen of Jhotir is the White Stallion_. I… think it might be the clue to figuring out who this leader is.”

“It could be!” ventured Neha. “But, what’s ‘the Evergreen’?”

The Evergreen. Corvus squeezed his eyes shut and focused. Somewhere in the sea of conversations between nobles he had listened in on, that had been said. Completely in passing, as a casual remark. Corvus hadn’t paid it much regard, but now he needed the specifics. He needed to recall exactly what was said. Slowly, bit by bit, it came back to him.

“I think I have something,” he finally said. “It could be nothing, but… High Councilman Ahmad mused that two members of the council were looking much younger than they actually were, or something to that effect. He said they were ‘like Evergreens’. I believe their names were… Arissa and Ibrahim.”

At that, Neha brought out several sheets of paper and began meticulously poring over them. “Okay, it looks like there’s an Arissa on the Council of Battra. And, there is in fact an Ibrahim on…” She paused and took a deep breath. “… the Council of Jhotir. Holy shit.”

“The Evergreen of Jhotir,” muttered Sachin.

“The Ivory Stallion,” continued Corvus. “In other words, the leader of the Liberation Collective, who likely practices dark magic, taught others and most importantly, orchestrated the attacks on Duren.”

Vedika gulped. Corvus had to remind himself that this was why she was here, so far outside her comfort zone and yet ignoring his instructions. She wanted more than anything to put a stop to this.

“The evidence seems pretty compelling,” said Sachin. “So, what’s our plan now?”

That was a loaded question. There was a lot to follow up on, many bases they would need to cover. They would have to plan carefully over the next couple hours. Of course, they would have to send word to Katolis and Duren – they needed to know that they were still alive. They also needed to know that the next few days were going to be extremely dangerous. The four of them were finally learning just how deep this rabbit hole went, and that to do what they had set out to, they would have to jump in headfirst.

One thing was clear, though; there _was_ dark magic in Neolandia. And in all likelihood, this Ibrahim of Jhotir was at the heart of it. A mastermind, a threat lurking in the shadows.

Another powerful human mage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: To absolutely no one’s surprise I couldn’t stick to even the 2-week plan for this chapter. I really tried, I’ll have you know, but this thing just kept getting longer and longer. And my plot kept getting messier. And my sleep kept getting worse, but that’s beside the point. Now, finally, we have a mammoth of a chapter that’s… eh. Reading it over, it’s a little stodgy. This has become so plot driven, and I’ve tried not to sacrifice good, engaging writing along the way, but I’m worried about this one. If you’ve actually made it through this whole chapter, then thank you and I really hope it wasn’t too much of a drag :). If anyone has any ideas / constructive criticism on how to keep this engaging and enjoyable, do let me know with a review! Writing is fun, but knowing you’ve made something that’s actually nice to read (what a thought) is something to aspire to.


	4. Secrets and Whispers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diplomatic talks get under way, and Fawaz and Ariana stumble upon something they really weren't supposed to...

In the past few months alone, Rayla had fought monsters, generals, powerful mages and even an entire stronghold. She was Captain of the Dragonguard, one of the most elite fighting forces in Xadia, and answered directly to the Dragon Queen herself. By all accounts, then, almost nothing should have been able to phase her. So, why was she finding herself so uneasy at an after-dinner diplomatic gathering?

Well, in a combat situation, she was always clear on who her enemies were and who her allies were. She could parry, dodge, apply offensive pressure, or back away if things got too heated. In the toughest of situations, her instincts were always there to help her out.

None of this worked here. There were allies here, yes, but most people here occupied a grey area, with unclear agendas and motivations. There was no notion of attacking or backing away – she had to be presentable, dignified, and yet very, very careful of everything she said. And her instincts? Those were actively working against her.

Dinner had been manageable. At least they were seated the whole time, and she was mostly surrounded by friends. It had been enjoyable, even. But now they were mingling, and the anxiety was slowly creeping in. She was putting on a brave face for Arinze and Eryn, who were mostly deferring to her as captain, but it wasn’t fooling Callum. He knew her too well.

At a pause in her conversation with the Del Barian Head Crownguard alongside Arinze and Eryn, she noticed that Callum had just stepped away from his conversation. Seizing the opportunity, she snuck over to Callum’s side and he discretely slipped his hand into hers. “Hey. You alright?” he asked.

Rayla nodded unconvincingly and he squeezed a little tighter. “Try not to get discouraged. Everyone might seem a little wary, but they all just want what’s best for their people. We’re all after the same thing.” He smiled, and Rayla allowed herself to as well. “That’s a positive way of looking at it.” She felt more at ease with Callum by her side.

And yet, as he lingered, the quizzical glances, judgmental glares and general apprehension started becoming more apparent. Ironic, really – the one person she wanted by her side right now was the one who was drawing the most attention to her. The story had spread throughout the Human Kingdoms and Xadia alike; that before the Battle of the Storm Spire, the two princes of Katolis had travelled with a Moonshadow-elven assassin to return the dragon prince to his mother. Surely, the various delegates and nobles had surmised that she was that Moonshadow elf and were beginning to gossip and speculate.

Callum pulled back his hand. “We should probably get back to mingling, or whatever, shouldn’t we?”

Rayla nodded. “Yeah. Personally, I have no interest in another lecture from Ibis.” The two of them shared a short chuckle at that. Callum turned to leave but stopped as the two of them were approached by an elegantly dressed young woman. With her spotless skin and tastefully adorned garb, it was almost impossible to tell that she was about their age. But from the way she carried herself, there was no doubt; this was Queen Amani of Evenere.

“Prince Callum! Such a pleasure to _finally_ meet you,” she drawled, curtsying slightly. “I wasn’t sure what to make of the rumors until your little demonstration. You truly are something special.” There was a waxy quality to her voice as she gazed at Callum intently. Much to Rayla’s chagrin, he was blushing slightly.

“Oh! Well, er… thank you, Queen Amani. So, uh, how are you liking Katolis so far?” he asked.

“It’s lovely. Especially your castle – it’s so _big_! Your servants must have to ride horses to bring you your refreshments. Mine have been taking _so_ long… I really should tell them to hurry it up,” she mused.

As much as she wanted to be around Callum, Rayla was quickly realizing that she would rather take another plummet from the Storm Spire than listen to any more of this stuck-up Queen’s ramblings. Besides, it was becoming clear that she wasn’t a part of this conversation.

That was, until Queen Amani turned to face her. “Oh, how rude of me. You must be the Captain of the Xadian Crownguard, or whatever it’s called. What was your name again?”

“Um, it’s Captain Rayla… your Majesty,” she said, slightly caught off guard.

“Elven names are so peculiar,” noted Queen Amani, before waving her hand dismissively. “No matter. So, elf, are the rumors true that you travelled with Prince Callum and King Ezran to return the dragon prince?”

“That’s right,” said Rayla, a little defensively now. “As a matter of fact, I’m quite close with both of them.”

Queen Amani seemed somewhat taken aback before collecting herself. “Well then, you must consider yourself quite lucky. _Especially_ given that you’re an… ah, never mind. Pursuit of peace and all that.” Evidently through with talking to the likes of her, Queen Amani turned her attention back to Callum. “So, Prince Callum, do tell me: what other magic are you capable of?” Without warning, she grabbed Callum’s exposed forearm and ran her fingers across his tattooed runes, inching closer to him as she did. “These runes are so _intricate_ … I can scarcely imagine what wonders you conjure with them.”

Rayla shouldn’t have felt jealous. Not once had she ever felt that Callum was ambivalent about her. Callum loved her – she knew that. But seeing a human Queen who was significantly more… endowed than herself making such blatant advances on Callum was making her seriously uncomfortable. Her fists clenched. She wanted to share with her some choice words. _That’s my_ boyfriend, _you conceited royal bimbo!_

But she couldn’t say that. No one knew they were a couple, nor did anyone particularly need to. It was important to not stir up trouble, to be a presentable, diplomatic emissary of the Dragon Queen herself – to _behave_ , as Ibis would say.

Still, she wasn’t about to take this lying down.

“Queen Amani,” she began, “those runes are sacred to sky mages such as Prince Callum. Respectfully, I would suggest that you refrain from touching them.”

Clearly miffed by the sudden interjection, Queen Amani cocked an eyebrow. “Oh? And how exactly would _you_ know this? I thought you were a Moonshadow elf.”

Oh, so she _did_ know. “As Captain of the Dragonguard, my post is at the Storm Spire – in other words, the Sky Nexus, where sky magic is at its _strongest_. Home to a master sky mage.” Best to spell it out for her. She clearly knew nothing about magic.

Reluctantly, Queen Amani relinquished her grip, huffing as she did. “In that case, I must defer to your expertise. I trust, of course, that there are no… ulterior motives to your suggestion.”

“And what could you possibly mean by that, Queen Amani?” asked Rayla pointedly, defying her to elaborate.

“Oh, well I understand that it’s an obscene thought,” began Queen Amani haughtily, “but your relationship with Prince Callum is purely professional, yes?”

“ _Respectfully_ , Queen Amani,” countered Rayla, trying not to grit her teeth, “I don’t see how that is any of your concern, or how that has any bearing on my suggestion.”

“Of course. My apologies,” said Queen Amani coyly. “If I may, however, offer you a word of caution: many of my fellow delegates are still getting accustomed to the notion of productive, professional relations with your kind. If people suspected that your relationship with the Prince was, heavens forbid, anything _more_ than that… well. Suffice to say, it would not be in your best interest to create that impression. So, might I suggest that you leave Prince Callum and I to our discussion? Surely you have other matters to attend to.”

Rayla’s blood was boiling. Like hell she would just leave her with Callum! Not after what she had just tried to pull.

“Well, if your _discussion_ pertains in any way to magic or relations with Xadia,” she almost snarled, “perhaps my presence would be… productive. Shouldn’t we strive to develop a productive relationship, _Queen Amani_?”

“I will foster productive relationships with your kind exactly when and how I see fit,” she replied firmly. “Frankly, I think you’re grasping at straws – I don’t see how this discussion is pertinent to you in any way _whatsoever_.”

“Uh…” began Callum, who had been listening with bemusement and concern, but Rayla simply held up a hand to cut him off.

“Perhaps you hadn’t noticed, Queen Amani, but Callum and I were having a discussion _ourselves_ before you interrupted!”

Immediately, Rayla realized her mistake, but too late. Queen Amani smirked. “And, pray tell, what exactly were you and Prince Callum discussing that couldn’t have been addressed while the two of you were at the Storm Spire? I also find it interesting how you suddenly refer to him so informally.”

Rayla’s cheeks flushed. “I… erm, well…” This damned _wench!_

“Queen Amani,” interjected Callum, “Rayla had been travelling with my brother and I for some time, so the formalities became unnecessary. She and I were simply comparing notes from our respective interactions. We… work closely with one another, you see. Professionally.”

Queen Amani raised an eyebrow, nodding tentatively but seemingly unconvinced. Rayla just wanted to shrink away and disappear. She felt embarrassed, exposed, and generally made a fool of. She and Callum both knew that peace wouldn’t be easy, but why did people like Queen Amani have to be so _nasty_? More than anything, she wanted this whole interaction to be over.

Funnily enough, she got her wish.

“Prince Callum!” The three of them turned to see a Katolian steward making his way over. “Master Opeli has just called for an emergency meeting – Katolian ears only. Your presence, as well as that of King Ezran, is required.”

Callum looked taken aback. “Um, alright then.” He turned to face Queen Amani. “It’s, uh, been a pleasure speaking with you, Queen Amani.” Giving Rayla a fleeting, comforting smile, he turned to leave with the steward.

Clearly, she should have been careful what she wished for.

* * *

“I appreciate your candor, King Ezran, and your gracious hospitality. Clearly, my council and I have much to think about regarding your propositions.” With that, Queen Olivia of Del Bar, a well-built woman who was somehow even more daunting in person than Aunt Amaya, bowed and took her leave. Following the death of her late brother, she had taken control of a kingdom in disarray and with a level head and perseverance was slowly making things better for her people. For that, Ezran had a great deal of respect. Despite Opeli’s advice, Ezran had insisted on addressing the other kingdoms’ rulers without her – it was a better look and showed that he was a capable leader who spoke for his people. It was taxing, though, and once he was alone, Ezran breathed a sigh of relief.

Things were going… fine, he thought. Yesterday, alongside Callum and his moon magic spell, Ezran was able to confirm his suspicion: the assassins of King Florian and Queen Fareeda weren’t of Xadian origin but were in fact smoky assassins conjured and sent by Viren. Earlier in the evening, he and Callum had proven this to Queen Amani, Queen Olivia, and Queen Aanya. They were quite taken aback by what they saw. While Aanya seemed to believe it quite readily, the other two still seemed to be processing the information, weighing whether they could accept it as fact. Ezran couldn’t blame them – it was a lot to take in. For what it was worth, he had also sent word to the Neolandian high council. Not that he expected it to break their silence.

“Pardon me, King Ezran, but do you have a moment?” Ezran smiled as he saw the first truly friendly face he had seen in the past hour – Aanya.

“You know you can just call me Ezran. We’re friends, remember?”

“Right! Sorry,” she said sheepishly.

“And, yeah, I do. Do you wanna talk on the balcony? It’s really nice out,” he offered.

“I’d love to!”

With their personal guards in tow, they made their way to Ezran’s private balcony. It _was_ a nice evening, not too chilly or too windy, and the balcony was one of Ezran’s favorite spots to escape from all his kingly duties. Odd, then, that he was technically meeting with a foreign ruler here, but Aanya really felt like more of a friend. And that was nice.

“So how was your evening? Did you enjoy dinner? I had the best chefs from the capital town prepare it, and Barius spent the past week making jelly tarts!”

Aanya chuckled. “Yes, Ezran, dinner was delicious. And, I suppose I see why you like those jelly tarts so much. They’re a… very Katolian delicacy, aren’t they?”

“They’re the best!” gushed Ezran. They both chuckled at that and paused for a short moment before Ezran spoke again.

“Hey Aanya, can I ask you something?”

Aanya just nodded before he continued. “Do you ever feel like people don’t take you seriously because you’re a kid?”

“All the time,” she answered simply.

“Wait, really? But you’re so smart and strong and talented. People respect you for that, and you use those big, complicated words really easily, you’re… uh, what’s that word…”

“Articulate?” offered Aanya.

“See? There you go again!”

Aanya chuckled. “That’s very sweet of you to say, Ez – I’m flattered, really. But it wasn’t always that way. When I announced that I intended to take the throne, people thought I was joking, even my closest advisors. Once it became clear that I wasn’t, they indulged me, but seemed convinced that I would quickly fail and go back to my studies for another few years. And you know what? I did fail – a lot, in fact. And every time I did, it was always ‘this is what happens when you let a child lead a kingdom’, or ‘we told you that you weren’t ready for this responsibility’. But I kept at it. I always took responsibility for my mistakes. It took a lot of work, but gradually, I became a better ruler. Ezran, you’ve already earned your peoples’ respect through your actions. You’ve done so much in such a short time. Trust me: If you keep making strong decisions for your people, and you keep striving to improve, it won’t be long before everyone gives you the respect and the credit that you deserve.”

Ezran just stood there, finding himself totally speechless.

Aanya crossed her arms. “Hey, come on. It wasn’t _that_ profound.”

But Ezran just looked at her, a smile spreading across his face. “You… called me Ez.”

Aanya put a hand over her mouth. “Wait, I did? Oh gosh, I’m so sorry!”

“No, no! It’s fine, really,” he hurriedly assured her. “Actually, I like it when you call me Ez.”

“Wow, I… I guess I just feel so familiar with you,” she said softly, as if it was some sort of revelation.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” said Ezran quizzically.

“No! I mean, it’s… are you sure it’s fine, though?”

“Of course! Rayla calls me Ez, I don’t see why you can’t.”

And so, the two of them kept talking, about anything and everything from life as a child ruler to delicious pastries and desserts to Callum’s sleep talking, just like old friends. It was nice – really nice. He had always had Callum, but never anyone his age, and now he did. He felt like he could keep going for hours, and maybe he could have. But eventually they were interrupted by a steward entering the balcony, and reality set in once again.

He may have been just a boy, but he was king. And there was business to attend to.

* * *

Ariana had long since tuned out the incessant babbling of Lord Axel, the Del Barian Minister of Infrastructure whom she was stuck chaperoning this evening as he conversed with various delegates. With nothing better to do, her eyes began to wander.

Everyone was in what must have been a ballroom, spacious enough for the numerous human and elven delegates and royals to spread out and converse with one another. It was ornate, well-lit by lanterns and candles, and beautifully furnished. She had to admit, even with all their privilege, the Katolian royals were certainly tasteful.

Speaking of Katolian royals, she caught a glimpse of the mage prince across the room from her, with whom she believed to be the Queen of Evenere and that same white-haired elf from the dragon earlier. The Queen and the elf seemed to be in a very heated discussion of some sort, though she couldn’t quite catch what they were saying. Still, it was thoroughly amusing to watch it unfold, as the Prince seemed completely unable to interject. What could they possibly have been talking about so heatedly? Well, the Prince and that white-haired elf _did_ seem to be next to each other a fair bit, so maybe…

Ugh. _That_ was an unsettling thought.

Soon, though, a very serious looking steward came up to the Prince, and the two began to hurry off somewhere, leaving the Queen and the elf behind. Strange… what was so important that the Prince had to be pulled away from a conversation with a foreign Queen? Whatever it was, it couldn’t have been any less boring than babysitting a minister. Taking a quick glance to the side, Ariana could see that Lord Axel was still heavily engrossed in his conversation. There were two other Del Barian stewards dutifully by his side. She looked back toward the Prince, who was still just about within view.

Surely, Lord Axel wouldn’t mind terribly if she slipped away for just a moment…

* * *

Since it became clear that Fawaz wasn’t much needed by Lord Fatima, Evenerian Minister of Agriculture, despite his presence with her in the ballroom, Fawaz had been turning his attention to other things to keep him occupied – of which there was a great deal. Not only was this room fancy and elaborate beyond anything Fawaz knew, and not only was it packed with people so rich and powerful that they might as well have been from a different world, but this was the first time he had ever been in the same room as elves.

He didn’t quite know what to think. On one hand, he had heard the stories his whole life; that elves were bloodthirsty monsters, that they were enemies of humanity, that they would come at night to steal misbehaving children. But on the other hand, now that so many of them were here… they didn’t seem all that different from people – or humans, rather. As a number of elves whom he assumed to be dignitaries and officials spoke with those of the human kingdoms at various corners of the room, they seemed hopeful and courteous yet tentative, just like the humans.

Still, they all seemed very busy, and he couldn’t just randomly approach one of them and strike up a conversation. He _did_ however spot that Del Barian girl from earlier, and she looked at least as bored as him. Maybe he could strike up a conversation?

As he was deliberating, though, she began to tentatively sneak off somewhere, eyes directed toward… the Katolian Prince, hastily heading somewhere with a steward. That _did_ pique his curiosity, and after that demonstration in the courtyard, he wanted to learn more about this prince. Plus, maybe he could get in on whatever that Del Barian girl was doing. So, he decided to tail her.

Following closely in her footsteps, they were soon outside the ballroom and in one of the many large hallways of the castle. Keeping a safe distance from the prince and his steward, Fawaz watched as they turned not towards one of the many conference rooms, but an uneven stone wall. Perplexingly, the steward began pressed into one of the stones in the wall, reached into the crevasse and pulled it open like a doorway. The two of them quickly disappeared into it and the Del Barian girl, who had been standing out of their line of sight, rushed in to follow them. Taking her cue, Fawaz did the same, making it inside just as the heavy door began to shut by itself.

Before him lay a narrow, dimly lit staircase. The prince and steward appeared to already be at the bottom, and the Del Barian girl wasn’t too far behind them. Carefully, as quietly as possible, he made his way down after them. Whatever this was, they clearly didn’t want just anyone overhearing.

At the end of the staircase, the prince and steward turned one more corner, by which point it sounded like they came face to face with several others who were part of this meeting. Probably to avoid being seen, the Del Barian girl didn’t turn the last corner, but stayed put, peeking her head around ever so slightly. Fawaz, on the other hand, stayed a little further back – he would have to do with just listening for now. It sounded like there were a lot of them, probably all Katolian. Fawaz felt a chill run down his spine.

Just what had he stumbled upon?

* * *

Callum’s head was spinning as he absent-mindedly followed the steward down the corridor. Queen Amani had… flustered him, certainly. Worse, she had done it right in front of Rayla. Not his best look. Whatever she said, Rayla was clearly nervous about this entire gathering. She hadn’t had pleasant interactions with very many humans, and now she was face to face with prejudiced, powerful dignitaries and leaders who had only negative preconceptions of elves. The last thing she had needed was Queen Amani not only antagonizing her but… flustering _her_ as well. Before long, things had escalated into an all-out argument, one which he barely managed to break up before getting dragged away.

And that, of course, was the other matter. What exactly was this about? As he tried to venture a guess, he realized that despite seeing so many familiar faces since yesterday, he hadn’t seen Corvus and hadn’t had the chance to ask after him. Was he on a mission of some sort? Is that what this was about? Was he okay?

The steward stopping not at one of the doors to a regular conference room but at the concealed entryway to one of the castle’s hidden chambers only added to his concern – if it was serious enough to warrant _this_ , something had to be wrong. After the steward opened up the passage from the otherwise flush wall, the two of them began heading down the staircase. Within a few seconds, thanks to an intricate contraption of springs, levers and coils that had been installed by a very talented Katolian engineer just recently, the door would shut on its own, concealing them from prying eyes. Thinking about this helped Callum take his mind off of everything else for a fleeting moment, until he was in the room and face to face with Aunt Amaya, Gren, Soren, the Crow Master (presumably, the Crow Lord himself was taking a personal day, or something along those lines), General Kieran, his sleepy brother and a very concerned looking Opeli.

“Alright, it looks like everyone is here,” she began. “I apologize that I had to pull everyone in so abruptly, but there are several very pressing matters that must immediately be addressed.”

_Several?_

“Needless to say,” she continued, firmly now, “everything we are about to discuss is highly confidential. No one outside this room should be made aware of any of these details unless agreed upon here, _particularly_ not our foreign guests. Is that clear?”

Slowly, somberly, everyone around the room nodded. “Good,” said Opeli. “Then let us begin. As most of you know, our own Master Tracker Corvus recently crossed into Neolandia alongside three Durenian agents and has been conducting espionage regarding the recent guerilla attacks on Duren by the border.”

So, _that’s_ where he had been.

“We just recently received word from them. Corvus and his team have been investigating use of Dark Magic in the Neolandian town of Khajabi, and it seems they’ve uncovered rumors of an underground group known as the Liberation Collective. They believe this group to be led by Councilman Ibrahim of judicial house Jhotir, who is likely a dark mage and who may have been training others in the practice. Their current plan is to pursue Ibrahim and see if it leads them to the Liberation Collective and ultimately the root of the attacks. We expect to receive daily status reports, with a maximum deviance of 12 hours before raising the alarm. Does that cover everything?”

She looked pointedly at the Crow Master. “Oh! Erm…” he hastily rummaged for the letter and skimmed through it. “Yes, ma’am, I believe that’s all. There are some specific locations he mentioned, but we can go over that later.”

Opeli nodded. “Good. Crownguard Soren, I believe there was a security issue that you had to fill us in on?”

Soren sighed. “Yep. Well, two days ago some guards in the town got into a scuffle with some rogue. One civilian had already been killed, and when I went to show him how we do it in the Capital myself, uh… he got the better of me and got away.” He hung his head, clearly unsatisfied with his performance, but continued.

“Since then, instead of trying to hunt him down with manpower we can’t spare, the guard and I have been focusing on fortifying our defenses here in the castle – increasing night patrols, busier watch towers, and more guards around the outside of the castle and among the guests. So… yeah, we think based on the rogue’s actions that he or she could be an assassin, basically.”

The atmosphere of the room became palpably tense. Callum gave his exhausted little brother a look – he seemed fearful, but he was taking it well all things considered. Clearly, the harrowing journey they had shared just a month ago hadn’t been for nothing. Soon, General Kieran chimed in.

“Crownguard Soren, as I said before, I still think we should be proactive and send my best soldiers into the town to find and capture this vagabond before-”

But Soren cut him off. “And as _I_ said, I don’t think that’s a good idea. It would cause all kinds of panic and confusion, hurt the townspeople more than it would help them, and might even make it _easier_ for our target to stay hidden. It really doesn’t seem like this rogue is the type who’d be interested in killing more townsfolk.”

Interpreting for Amaya, Gren chimed in. “Soren is right. At times like these, it’s best to focus on keeping everyone safe.”

General Kieran relented. “Alright,” he sighed, “what do you think, King Ezran?”

Callum was taken aback. He hadn’t known Soren to be quite so analytical. He had changed since the Storm Spire – at times, he seemed grumpier, more irritable, but now… he seemed more focused and less goofy than his usual self. Was that a good thing? Callum wasn’t sure, but either way, it was clear he had thought this through. A look at his brother told him that he felt the same way, too.

Ezran nodded. “That sounds like a good plan, Soren. I trust you.”

Soren managed a warm, genuine smile. “Thanks, Ezran. I’ll keep you safe, no matter what. You too, Mis-step Prince.” He allowed himself a brief chuckle, and so did Callum.

Opeli cleared her throat. “Now… onto the final matter, and perhaps the most confusing. As I understand, we received a bizarre communication all the way from Xadia. Crow Lo- I mean, Crow Master, would you like to fill us in?”

“O-of course!” he stammered, once again rummaging through various papers before unfurling the correct one. “We received this via one of those magical hawk thingies. From a… Naimi-Selari-Nykantia? Am I pronouncing that right?”

“Nyx!” Callum said immediately, equal parts baffled and intrigued.

“You know this person?” asked Opeli.

“Uh, yeah,” said Callum. “She’s… interesting, to say the least.”

“Well, it’s about to get more interesting. Crow Master, would you please continue?”

“I’ll do my best, ma’am!” he said. “So, she and this… Kai, whoever that is, went after some noble and found… oh, oh gosh. That’s really disturbing. Ma’am, I’m not sure I’m comfortable reading-”

Opeli rolled her eyes. “Oh, give me that!” she snapped, grabbing the letter from a startled Crow Master. “So… This Nyx, upon pursuing a certain Earthblood-elven noble into an underground layer, discovered what appeared to be some sort of hybrid between dark magic and earth primal magic to… oh, my… to bring a mass of rock and earth to life as a terrifying monster that almost got her killed. According to what she overheard, this noble hopes to mount an attack against Katolis with these creatures.”

The room was now full of confused and alarmed impressions as Opeli turned her attention to Callum. “Prince Callum, you know of this ‘Nyx’. Would you say that she is… trustworthy?”

Callum snorted. “Honestly, not on my life. She stole Zym and left Rayla and I stranded in the Midnight Desert. But… Opeli, did Nyx give a name of this Earthblood-elven noble?”

Opeli looked back at the letter. “Let’s see… she’s written ‘Ferromir’”.

Oh.

“Oh no…” All eyes turned to Callum as his blood ran cold. Was this it? The lead he had been looking for? From the unlikeliest of places, at the worst of times?

“Prince Callum, you recognize that name. What does it mean?” Opeli asked.

Callum took a moment to collect his myriad of thoughts before answering. “One of two things. One, Kai and Nyx are working together to trick Katolis, or bait me into going there to take me hostage, or something along those lines. It would have to be a very elaborate ruse with Kai fully on board and very knowledgeable. Two… everything she says is true, and we need to act as soon as possible, or we could be facing another war.”

Judging by the reactions on everyone’s faces, the weight of his words was clear.

Amaya, having taken a moment to think, began signing. Gren interpreted. “One thing is clear: Prince Callum should _not_ be the one to investigate this, especially considering it may be a trap intended for _him_.”

“But-” Callum was about to protest, until Ez suddenly interjected.

“I agree. Callum, you’re not going.”

Callum sighed. “Alright, fine. But whether or not it’s me, we should probably check this out.”

At that, Amaya pulled Gren over to the side and began signing with him just out of his line of sight. “Prince Callum,” began General Kieran, “you yourself said that this ‘Nyx’ is not the most trustworthy. Do you really believe that it’s worth seriously considering this communication at all?”

But Callum was certain. “If she’s lying, then we’ll have sent someone to Xadia for nothing. If she’s _not_ , then this might be our only chance to save countless lives. Plus, the more I think about it, the more I think this is real. She doesn’t have much to gain from lying about this, and it all seems pretty specific and detailed to make up.”

Finally, having apparently conversed with Amaya, Gren turned to face everyone. “So, General Amaya feels that she should be the one to go. She’s not necessarily needed here, and she can travel quickly on Incendra, her hotcat.”

“Aunt Amaya, no!” protested Callum. “It’s too dangerous. You aren’t that familiar with Xadia.”

But Amaya locked eyes with him, signing to him directly. _Callum, you have my word that I’ll be careful. But I’ve faced a lot more danger than you, kid, even with your recent adventures. It would take more than you know to bring me down._

Eventually, Opeli chimed in. “I must say, General Amaya does sound like the ideal candidate for this mission.”

“Alright, alright,” conceded Callum. “But, Aunt Amaya, this will still be very different from anything you’ve faced before. You’ll be deep in Xadian territory. Here’s what I’ll suggest: Captain Rayla has brought her two colleagues from the Dragonguard. I’ll check with her, but one of them might be available to join in on the mission. I know this means involving non-Katolians, but in this case I think it’s justified. What do you guys think?”

Slowly, around the room, heads began to nod in approval. Obviously, Callum wished that he could fly off and handle this himself, but if he could make it work this didn’t seem like a bad alternative.

Everything was becoming very, very real. If there was any doubt before, it was now clear as day that peace would not be easy. There were parties on all sides that sought to undermine it all. But here, in this chamber, his people weren’t about to let that happen.

* * *

Ariana could scarcely believe what she was hearing. Quite obviously, none of it was meant for her ears, but having been bored almost to tears, that didn’t make this any less exciting. What was she to _do_ with all this information? Take it to the Del Barian council? What would _they_ do with the information? Would they even believe her? Would she be rewarded? Perhaps, promoted to some sort of elite agent? That would certainly make for a far more eventful life than the one she had led thus far.

Either way, her curiosity had long since overcome any other instinct of hers as she stood peering around the corner into the main chamber, just out of sight. She wanted more. She wanted to see their faces, to parse not just what was said, but what was tacitly implied. Cautiously, she leaned her head across the corner just a tiny bit further.

And heard something shuffling behind her.

Snapping back around, stomach sinking, she found herself face to face with a boy around her age, looking just as stunned as her. Who was he? What was he doing here? How did he get _in_ here without her noticing? These were all questions she barely had time to conceptualize, let alone process, as she instinctively yelped in surprise.

Out loud.

Oh _shit_.

* * *

Opeli was pacing the chamber, the frustration emanating from her practically palpable as she addressed everyone. “How in the seven denizens of hell could we _possibly_ have allowed this to happen!?” she seethed. “There was one _single_ thing I made clear at the beginning of this meeting!”

Callum just sat there, hands pressed into his temple. It was all so comically surreal. Not only had he been hit with three extremely important and pressing pieces of information that he hadn’t known anything about prior, but _all_ of it had been overheard by two kids barely younger than him from two foreign kingdoms. To top it all off, it was likely his fault. He was the last to enter the chamber, so they must have followed him and his steward. And with so much on his mind, he hadn’t been paying attention to his surroundings at all.

Opeli continued. “So, I’m sure once we get these two kids talking, it will become clear that they followed Prince Callum and Steward Henry, neither of whom apparently noticed this. Is that a fair assumption?”

Callum just nodded, and to his side, Steward Henry spoke up. “I-I’m terribly sorry, ma’am! It’s a feeble excuse, I know, but I hadn’t slept well the night before and was just focused on bringing Prince Callum to the meeting since we were running late and-”

Opeli waved her hand dismissively. “Fine. But even _given_ that, here’s what I’d like to know: was there no one else stationed in the halls between the ballroom and this chamber?”

Soren answered that. “Erm… yeah, that might have been my bad,” he said sheepishly. “We devoted all our guards and soldiers to patrolling outside the castle and manning watch towers to make sure no one could get in and stationed the rest in the ballroom to protect all the nobles and dignitaries.”

Opeli sighed. “Wonderful. In one of the most colossal strokes of irony this kingdom has perhaps ever seen, our attempts to bolster defenses and increase patrols directly _led_ to two eavesdroppers in a top-secret meeting. But, fine; regardless of how we got into this mess, we’re in it now. The question is, what do we _do_ with these two kids?”

The chamber was silent for a moment as everyone pondered this. It was General Kieran who spoke first.

“Well… I’m not saying we should _do_ this, but the most obvious solution would be to… silence them… in a, uh, permanent sense, so to speak.”

Ezran, despite his fatigue, shot up. “We are _not_ killing them!” he said firmly.

Gren chimed in too, interpreting for Amaya. “Even setting aside the moral concerns with that plan, how would we explain to the kingdoms of Del Bar and Evenere that two of their people inexplicably vanished? It would lead to a scandal in any scenario, let alone during a summit to discuss lasting peace between all our peoples. Killing them is out of the question.”

“So, what options do we have?” countered General Kieran. “We can’t very well let them return to their masters scot-free with all that sensitive information. _That_ could cause _numerous_ scandals and panics!”

“What if we just tell the truth? That these kids were spying on us, and that we have to detain them or something?” offered Soren.

But Opeli shook her head. “That could also create a scandal. We can’t just lock up citizens of other visiting kingdoms. Plus, it would stir up all sorts of unrest regarding what we’re hiding that’s so sensitive.”

“Okay, well,” continued Soren, “maybe we can do something clever. What if we could send kids who look and act just like these two, but don’t know any of the secret stuff? Then no one would suspect anything, and we can just keep these kids locked up or something. That could work!”

Opeli just sighed, and Gren began interpreting for Amaya. “You get points for creativity, Soren, but that doesn’t sound like a realistic plan. We wouldn’t be able to find or send these doppelgangers.”

“I’m just saying,” chimed in General Kieran, “we could make it look like an accident. These kids were snooping around where they weren’t supposed to, and fell on a… javelin, or something.”

But Ezran glared at him defiantly. “Again – we are _not_ killing them!”

Rolling her eyes, Opeli turned her attention to Callum. “Prince Callum, what about magic? Is there any… creative solution you can think of?”

“I’m not Viren,” he said bluntly. “I don’t deal in _those_ kinds of ‘creative solutions’.”

“My apologies, Prince Callum,” Opeli said. “I should have phrased that more carefully.”

“No, it’s fine,” he sighed. “It’s just been a long day, to say the least. Sky magic probably can’t help us. Moon magic is close but deals more with senses and perception. There’s a discipline of Sun magic that deals with ‘purification’, but again, that has more to do with other magic and motivations than, like, memories. Even if there _was_ a way to use some kind of Sun magic to make these kids forget or just not tell anyone about what they heard, it’s way beyond anything I know how to do.”

“So,” said Opeli, after a brief pause, “what does that leave us with?”

The uncomfortable silence that followed solidified the notion that there really _weren’t_ any good options – everyone was seemingly coming to that conclusion.

Callum got up. “You know what? I’m just gonna go talk to them. Maybe they have something to say themselves.”

* * *

“So, uh… you’re from Del Bar, right?”

With the two of them confined in a cramped cell, Fawaz’s feeble attempt at conversation seemed to do little to lighten the mood.

“Yeah,” she said. “Is everyone from Evenere as braindead as you? If so, I’m sorry for you guys.”

“Hey, look, I’m _sorry-_ ” he ventured.

“Oh, no, don’t worry about it. We’re probably just gonna die here thanks to you, that’s all.”

“Don’t say that! Prince Callum and King Ezran don’t seem like the types to let that happen.”

She scoffed. “You really believe that whole charade? Katolis doesn’t care about any of the other kingdoms, and they never have. Even if those airheaded royals _did_ care, I doubt they’d have any say.”

“Are you sure? You and I overheard the same conversation, right? Seems like they had a _lot_ of say.”

“Fine, _maybe_ they do,” she conceded. “Still, what are their options, really? We know too much for them to just let us go.”

Fawaz didn’t have much to say to that. They sat there in solemn silence for a while before he took another stab at conversation.

“Hey, so… why did you decide to follow Prince Callum?”

“I was bored,” she replied bluntly.

“Really? You’d do something so dangerous just because you were bored?”

She paused for a moment. “Fine, I guess I was also… curious. About what someone our age in that kind of a position deals with. About what it would be like to be part of something… bigger. Why am I telling you all this?” she huffed. “It probably doesn’t make any sense.”

Something bigger than herself, huh? They really weren’t that different after all.

“I get it,” said Fawaz. “I really do.”

“…you’re a weird kid, you know that?” she quipped.

“Yeah, I know.”

Both of them jolted at the sound of footsteps approaching and turned to see none other than Prince Callum escorted by a guard. He looked tired, worn out… and even a bit defeated. Finally, he stopped just in front of the cell.

“Here to fill us in about our execution?” spat the girl behind her. “For the record, I think you’re just a spoiled brat who talks a big talk.”

“She doesn’t mean that!” said Fawaz hastily.

Prince Callum sighed. “Honestly, that’s not the first time I’ve heard that. Look, we’re not having you guys executed. You’re clearly troublemakers, but you don’t deserve _that_. Still, you overheard a lot of sensitive information, so… we’re trying to think of some sort of solution.”

“Oh. Well, uh… thanks, I guess,” she said a bit sheepishly. “You can’t just use magic to wipe our memories or something?”

Despite it all, Prince Callum cracked a half smile. “I wish it were that simple, but magic is a little more complicated than that.”

So, they hadn’t been able to figure out what to do with them. The more Fawaz thought about it, the more he realized that there really weren’t any good options.

But then a thought occurred to him. This girl, just like him, wanted to be part of something bigger. Despite her cynical façade, she was just as fascinated by this mage prince and the life he led, Fawaz could tell. Maybe, in a convoluted sort of way, this was an _opportunity_ to be a part of something bigger.

Maybe there _was_ one good option.

“Well, if you two don’t have anything else to say, I’m gonna go. We’ll… keep discussing and figure something out, I guess,” said Prince Callum candidly as he turned to leave.

“Prince Callum, wait!” said Fawaz. All eyes were now on him.

“Would you… would you allow us to become your apprentices?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep. Later than I’d have liked yet again, I know, but this ended up being another chonky chapter – hopefully at least a little less dry and more engaging than the last one! It’s a bit more character-focused, and I certainly had fun writing it. Again, I’ll aim to get the next one out in a couple weeks or so, but we’ll see how that goes. And yeah, I copped out of actually going into the whole investigation/reveal of Viren sending the smoky assassins. If you want to know what that might have looked like, I would urge you to check out Chapter 7 (4.6 Swiftly Past) of NumptyPylon’s Down to Earth – I couldn’t have really managed to do it better than that. 
> 
> Oh, and to my fellow Americans, happy 4th! Not that there’s all that much to celebrate this year, but at the very least, I hope we can all find something to smile about (not gonna say ‘in these trying times’, because if any of us have to hear that phrase one more time, we’ll probably all lose it). As always, let me know your thoughts in the comments! Positive, negative, I welcome it all. Thanks for reading!


	5. Like Family (Intermission)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callum and Rayla reflect on a busy and eventful two days in Katolis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, we actually managed to get all the way to Chapter 5! Having (finally) gotten around to doing some more planning, I’ve updated the planned number of chapters to 9, so there will be 4 more including this one (which is obviously shorter than most). About that – I’ve decided that this is a decent stopping point, because even though my update schedule has been pretty sparse as is, I’m gonna have to take a break. Yep, even in quarantine, I’ve somehow found plenty to keep me busy – truly, who knew planning your future would be so time-consuming? BUT, I do really want to come back to this story and wrap it up properly – I’ve come so far! So, I’m hoping to get back to this story and post chapter 6 by August 31st. Also, since my plot is so confusing that even I lose track of what’s going on sometimes, I’ve added a brief summary at the end. Also hopefully helpful for anyone who actually does come back to this 1.5 months later. I realize I might lose most of the handful of you who are still reading this story, but if any of you at all have enjoyed this so far and want to see it concluded, then I feel compelled to make it happen. Now, on to the chapter!

It had been an absolute whirlwind of a day. Back in Katolis, the kingdom she had been to only once before under very different circumstances, Rayla had been confronted with seemingly countless faces so far – some familiar, others not. Some friendly, others decidedly less so. All in all, despite some trying moments, it hadn’t been as bad as she had feared. Most diplomats she spoke with had been apprehensive, but also more open-minded than she had anticipated. That gave her hope. And now, far later in the evening than she had anticipated, she finally found herself alone with Callum – well, not quite, as Ezran lay curled up asleep on his bed, Bait in his arms. They were in _his_ room, after all, and he had personally invited the two of them in to ‘see him off to bed’. The guards were uneasy at first with the idea of letting a Moonshadow elf into the King’s chambers, but orders were orders.

Her whirlwind of a day was evidently dwarfed by Callum’s, though, as she struggled to keep up with everything he was telling her. “Okay, back up a second,” she interjected, Callum finally taking a breath as she did, “you’re taking these two kids on as your _apprentices_?”

“Ugh, I don’t know anymore!” Callum threw his hands in the air. “It sounds crazy. Believe me, I know that. But we couldn’t figure out what to do with those two – they overheard too much. Announcing that I’m taking them on as apprentices, as crazy as that sounds, might be the only way to keep them here without upsetting anyone or… literally committing murder.”

Rayla pondered this for a moment. It _did_ sound crazy – so crazy that it just might work. Callum taking on apprentices was an… interesting thought, though. As talented as he may have been, he was still by any measure just a novice mage. And yet, he was the world’s only known human mage. Katolis, and soon all the human kingdoms, would soon be looking to _him_. Rayla knew that was a lot of pressure. “Maybe this is a good thing!” she offered. “Having two extra sets of hands to help out might make things easier.”

“They wouldn’t just be _assistants_ , Rayla, Del Bar and Evenere would never accept that. They’d have to be my _apprentices_.” He sighed. “How can I even say that I’m taking on apprentices with a straight face? I have no clue what I’m doing! I’m a total fraud!” Oh, Callum.

“Callum,” she said tenderly, “you know that’s not true, right?” But Callum just looked at her dejectedly. “Isn’t it, though? It’s not like I managed to do primal magic after decades of research, practice and perseverance or anything like that. I just used a primal stone for a bit, almost killed myself with dark magic, and then woke up after a weird dream and somehow knew how to do it. I tried to articulate it, but it didn’t really make sense – you even admitted that!”

Thinking back, she might have said something along those lines. “Callum, just because I was having trouble following it the first time you explained it, doesn’t mean it didn’t make sense.” She chuckled. “I mean, remember when I tried to explain how my Moonshadow powers worked?”

That got her a wry smile out of Callum. “Yeah, fair enough. That made even _less_ sense.”

“What I’m trying to say, dummy,” she continued, “is that you’re not a fraud. You’re a talented mage who worked really, _really_ hard to get to where you are today. Of _course_ you don’t know exactly how you did what you did – no other human has done it before! But with some thinking and a bit of help, I know you’ll figure it out.” She elbowed him playfully. “So, quit looking so glum. After all, you have to make a good impression on your apprentices, _Master Callum_.”

Callum rolled his eyes. “Thanks for reminding me. I’d better make sure they do _not_ call me that.” They shared a good laugh, and Rayla was glad. The mood was lightening – things had been feeling too heavy today. “Hang on,” she said, considering for a moment, “you’re not gonna have to make _me_ your apprentice after telling me all this, are you?”

That got another chuckle out of Callum. “No, no, I was cleared to tell you. Oh, right! That reminds me – I didn’t want to send Aunt Amaya into Xadia on a wild goose chase by herself. She’d be a lot safer if she went with someone more familiar with the area.” His face was more serious now. “Rayla, do you think you could ask Arinze or Eryn if they’d be willing to go with her?”

Huh. Not exactly where she thought this was going. “Callum, are you sure it shouldn’t be-”

“No, _not_ you!” he cut in, flustered. Collecting himself, he took a deep breath, and took her hand in his. “I’m sorry – I know it’s selfish, but we both almost died last week, remember? It’s just meant to be a scouting mission, but… could you please see if either Arinze or Eryn could go with her?”

She sighed. As much as she hated to admit it, Callum was right. And either way, arguing about this was clearly just going to hurt him. “Alright,” she conceded. “I think Arinze might have spent some time in the Earthblood settlements. He’s also a big General Amaya fan, so he might even be happy to go with her, now that you mention it. I’ll ask.”

“Good. Thank you, Rayla.”

For a while, they just sat in silence. As late in the evening as it was, there was no movement about the halls. It felt peaceful. She was content just sitting with Callum, enjoying his company. Being right there beside him on his…

“So,” she began, “this has probably been a pretty different birthday from years past, huh?”

He looked at her vacantly for a moment and blinked a couple times before putting his head in his hands. “Wow, I… totally just forgot it was my birthday. Even though everyone wished me this morning, and it was part of the toast at dinner… gosh, _way_ too much going on. Hopefully next year will be more chilled out, without the mass of visiting delegations, rogue assassin, or threats of invasion, preferably.”

Rayla giggled, pulling him into a tight embrace. “Yeah, I hope so too. But… this isn’t so bad.”

She felt Callum relax in her arms. “Yeah,” he finally said. “I’ll take it. Oh, wait.” He got up abruptly, clearly having had an idea of some sort. Rayla watched him quizzically as he fumbled around for his sketchbook and the loose piece of charcoal he always carried with it.

“So, I kinda have this tradition,” explained Callum, “that every year on my birthday, I draw a picture of my family in my sketchbook.”

Oh. His family. Rayla’s face fell as it dawned on her that this year, it was even smaller. She knew that he had lost his mother many years ago, far too early… and now his father was gone. At least he had General Amaya, but tonight, she was busy preparing for her mission, no doubt. It was just him, Ezran and Bait. Still, it warmed her heart to see a smile on his face as he sat down and opened up his sketchbook, facing the bed where Ezran and Bait lay fast asleep. As he closed one eye and framed the picture with his hands, Rayla proactively scooched out of the way so that Callum could focus on his work.

He looked at her quizzically. “Hey, where are you going?”

Rayla blinked. “Just getting out of the way… you said it was a family picture, right?”

Callum thought about this for a moment, cheeks reddening. “Right, well… erm, I know this might sound kinda weird, but I really want you to be in it too.”

Rayla was taken aback. “Are you sure?”

“Rayla, aside from my parents and Ez, I’ve never cared about anyone as much as you. I always feel so comfortable around you, I can always be myself and I just always wanna be around you… I mean, Ez treats you like a big sister half the time! Rayla, to me – to both of us, you’re like family.”

Like family. Rayla’s heart swelled. She hadn’t really thought of it like that before, but… it felt so right. It was crazy to think that in just two short months, they had come to mean so much to each other. She also didn’t have much family left – no siblings, no grandparents, and of four parents, three were missing and presumed dead. It had been so long since she had felt this warm and safe, and now that she did, she realized with a start that it felt… like family. Or at least, what family was really supposed to be.

As she was pondering all this, she hadn’t realized that she had been blankly staring at Callum. Worried that he’d messed up, he was beginning to backtrack. “Actually, you know what? Too much, too soon. I’m sorry, forget I said anything, I just-”

He stopped as she started giggling. “Shut up,” she said, as she walked over and placed a kiss on his cheek. “Oh,” he said.

“We were having a moment. You didn’t need to put your foot in your mouth,” she said with a smirk. Callum sighed. “I do that a lot, don’t I?”

“Yeah,” said Rayla. “Now, where do you want me to sit?”

Callum smiled. “How about right next to Ez?”

So, Rayla set herself down on the bed just beside Ezran and Bait, both fast asleep and huddled together. It was a big, comfy bed, and given how late it was, she found her own eyelids getting heavy.

She watched Callum for a bit, smile plastered across her face as his head moved rapidly between the bed and the sketchbook, deftly adding practiced strokes to the work in his sketchbook. He loved her. She was a part of his life, and Ezran’s too. She was like family. And that felt wonderful.

Those pleasant thoughts played in her mind as she fell asleep, Callum still sketching away. For now, they could pretend that there were no responsibilities, that there was nothing to tend to in the morning.

For now, they were safe.

* * *

_So far…_

**Fawaz and Ariana** are two commoners from Evenere and Del Bar, respectively, who came to Katolis as escorts (not that kind) for their delegations. They’re still in Katolian custody, having been caught spying on a highly confidential meeting. In a (shocking?) turn of events, however, Fawaz proposed that they become Callum’s apprentices. What lies ahead for them?

 **Callum and Rayla** are in Katolis together, reunited with **Ezran** , having spent the past week or so at the Storm Spire following their harrowing adventure in Everdeep.

 **Eryn and Arinze** , Skywing and Sunfire (resp.) Dragonguard, are in Katolis with their Captain, Rayla, on Queen Zubeia’s orders. **Ibis** is also there as an emissary of the Queen (no, not you, Nyx). Things sure are different in the human lands…

 **General Amaya** is also in Katolis, having recently made her way over from the breach for the summit. She rides her own hotcat now, and might be saddling up for another adventure across the border in Xadia…

 **Corvus, Durenian Crownguard Vedika, and Durenian assassins Sachin and Neha** are in Khajabi, Neolandia, collecting intelligence regarding the recent attacks on Duren by the border. Having pieced together a series of clues, they’ve concluded that a man named **Ibrahim** of political house Jhotir may be a dark mage and ringleader of a group of rebels known as the Liberation Collective. What will be their next move?

 **Nyx and Everdeepian (Tidebound) Battlemage Kai** are in Earthblood territory by Mount Fortimus. Having pursued an Earthblood noble named Ferromir (a name which Kai recognized) in hopes of making off with a fortune, they stumbled upon a sinister plot using dark magic in conjunction with earth magic to lay siege on Katolis. They sent word to Katolis, but what they do next could be crucial…

 **Soren** has been training on and off with a mysterious yet brilliant old swordsman who goes only by **Den**. The **mysterious rogue** who injured him once is still at large, however, and with the summit well under way, he’ll do everything he can to keep everyone safe…

I apologize profusely for my confusing-ass plot. If you’ve made it this far, thank you so, so much for sticking through this wild ride with me. I’ll see you in the next few chapters, where I hopefully bring this story to its (epic?) conclusion!

Until then,

Anabelsraikou

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome to Part 2 of A Brave New Xadia! Thank you to everyone who read and commented on Part 1 - you guys got me here, and I'm excited about this! The first chapter ended up being sort of long, but I don't think it's as much of a mess as Part 1 Chapter 5. Decided to try something new and actually come up with chapter titles - once I did that, I figured, let's see if I can loosely thematically link the chapter while driving my plot. Not sure how well it turned out, but I'll let you be the judge! As always, I'd love any feedback and am open to constructive criticism. I'm by no means an experienced writer, and while I have the plot mostly figured out, I'm happy to take notes to make things more enjoyable. Currently I've set this to be a 7-parter, but that may change to 8 as I continue writing. 
> 
> Thanks for reading, and stay safe, everyone!


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